All The Pretty Little Horses
by neko-nya
Summary: [Complete] Krad spends a summer at a ranch called Golden Hope where he meets new faces for the first time but happy times don't last forever now do they? bah, just try and guess the pairings again
1. Chapter 1

All the Pretty Little Horses

_There's a ranch called Golden Hope, filled with beautiful horses and lush forests...and they say...that if you ever get lost or wander off the path...a golden angel will guide your way back..._

Chapter 1:

"So Krad, how's the room and the cabin?"

"It's fine, thanks."

"So how do you like this place so far?"

He lied not wanting to say anything rude and have a bad first impression, "It's great."

The lady beamed and walked out, "Excellent! I'll be ringing the dinner bell soon, but meanwhile you can just take a walk around and get use to this place, if you need anything just holler."

"Aa..."

After the lady left, he headed outside, onto the road and down the path. Krad sighed as he kicked the dirt in front of his feet, there he was on a ranch stranded in the middle of nowhere, what fun. When he asked for a vacation he was thinking more in terms of Italy or France, maybe even Australia, but no, he was stuck here. Here out of all the places on earth, someone really must have hated him, but then again, maybe he shouldn't complain since he arrived but a couple hours ago and the room was luxurious, for a ranch room anyways. The blonde sighed again, suddenly, he heard a knicker and looked over, there was a beautiful black horse staring at him, he walked over to it.

"Hi there, at least there's _something_ nice out here."

The horse whinnied and took a step back, Krad reached his hand out slowly, "Whoa...easy there...it's okay..."

Soon he found himself stroking the horse's muzzle and getting lost staring at its large expressive eyes, "That's it...nice horse..."

"Oi you! Get away from there! Don't you know these horses are dangerous, not to mention they have a reputation of biting and kicking visitors."

Krad looked at the owner of the angry voice, it was a boy around his age, his deep-violet hair was covered with a hat, his skin was relatively tanned and had piercing amethyst eyes, the blonde gave him a doubtful look and went back to stroking the horse, "You could've fooled me, his horse looks nowhere near dangerous and he doesn't look like he's about to bite my fingers off, quite a nice horse actually."

The boy tilted his hat and scratched his head, baffled, "Well I'll be damned...and he's the one that usually causes the most trouble too."

"Hmmm...you don't say..."

"Hey are you mocking me!?"

"And why would I wish to do such a thing?"

The boy snorted and started walking away, "Pft, whatever blondie, suit yourself, I'm outta here, don't go crying to anyone if he bites you or knocks you unconscious."

Krad didn't answer him, he watched the boy stalk away grumbling to himself, he looked at the horse, "Hmm...I didn't even catch his name, shame on me."

The horse knickered in reply, then the bell rang, "I guess that means it's dinner time, I'll bring you something nice next time."

He forced himself to part with the horse and went down the path which he had came from, standing at the door of the main hall was the lady that had showed him around. She spotted him and gestured for him to get in, she lead him in and greeted everyone, she told him to take a seat so he just grabbed on of the nearest chairs by the end of the table. Soon there were people surrounding him and much to his surprise, the boy that he had been talking to sat across from him, they all ate in silence, Krad took a small bite of bread and took a little sip of the soup and excused himself.

"Oh my, you haven't eaten at all, is there anything specific you'd like to eat?"

Krad shook his head, "No thanks, I'm full."

The lady seemed to consider for a moment, "Alright then, if you get hungry you can just come back here, I'm Emiko Niwa, and my husband Kosuke over there, we're the owner of the ranch so feel free to ask any questions."

"Kay."

The blonde walked out without looking back although the back of his mind was screaming at him to look back at the boy with the amethyst eyes. He took the long way back to his cabin stopping at the top of the hill, he took a seat in the grass, just sitting there in the grass watching the sunset, which was absolutely breathtaking since he never really seen such a thing, and for a few moments there, he forgot that he was dying.

--------------------------

Nya .....yea....Krad's dying, I have a thing with killing him don't I? Shame on me :P Now I have to see which fic I'm going to update next, probably Haunted, Insanity of the Art or Treat or DIE I'm not very organized right now, so sorry nya

All the pretty little horses is actually a lullaby and it sounds pretty nice, and you'll all find out why Krad's dying on the next chapter! :)


	2. Chapter 2

All the Pretty Little Horses

_There's a ranch called Golden Hope, filled with beautiful horses and lush forests...and they say...that if you ever get lost or wander off the path...a golden angel will guide you back..._

Chapter 2:

"_Krad?"_

_The blonde sat up, "Yea?"_

"_Are you Krad?"_

_Who else could he be? He nodded, the man gestured for him to come, Krad wondered what the hell was going on, then he remembered the horrid tiredness that never left alone no matter how long he slept, and his vision blurring. His appetite was never really good so no one could really see a difference, but his butler finally noticed something, the only reason he was standing in front of a doctor right now. He had nothing to do either way so he went; his normal doctor couldn't find anything wrong with him but suggested that he pay a visit to the hospital for a thorough checkup._

"_I'm afraid there's something wrong with you..."_

_No shit, if there wasn't anything wrong then he wouldn't be there in the first place, Krad nodded slowly, "Uh huh...and..."_

"_As a hematologist, I study diseases in the blood."_

_Krad clenched his fists, he knew what a hematologist was, why couldn't the stupid doctor just tell him what's wrong so he could be out of the stupid hospital and back home, "Yea...what? Do I have cancer?"_

_The doctor shook his head, "No, but I'm afraid that your blood results show that you have HIV positive."_

_The blonde stared at the man for a second then something in his mind clicked, "HIV positive..." Then he shrugged it off, "I see."_

_The doctor raised a brow, "You seem awfully calm about this, you know what HIV positive is right?"_

"_Yea."_

"_Do you know how you got it?"_

_His voice sounded amazingly calm, even to himself, "I think so."_

"_Care to enlighten me?"_

"_I'd rather not, there's no cure for itso what's the point?"_

_The doctor adjusted his glasses, a sign of annoyance, Krad noted, "Alright...our most potential weapon right now is a drug called AZT..."_

_Krad shook his head, "No drugs."_

"_This drug will extend your life though..."_

_He wasn't dumb, he knew what the drug could do for him, but either way, he didn't care, "No drugs," he repeated._

_The man sighed and shook his head, probably cursing how stubborn he was, the thought nearly made Krad smirk, "If that's what you want...but keep it in mind, if you ever change your mind, you know how to contact me."_

_Krad headed out the door without turning back, "Kay."_

_"You might want to know that you probably only have a couple months left! Give it some serious thought!"_

_The blonde snorted and walked away, living was just a game anyways._

_---------------------_

"_Master Krad? How did it go?"_

"_I'll tell you later Riff, can you arrange a vacation for me?"_

"_Where to?"_

"_Anywhere, just away from the city, as soon as possible please."_

_His butler nodded and headed off, Krad walked up to his room and started packing._

_---------------------_

_He had no idea what kind of trip was in store for him, and honestly, he didn't care, he boarded the plane but not before whispering into Riff's ear, "HIV positive..."_

_He didn't need to look back to know that his steward understood those words, a gasp was heard, he dismissed it by waving a hand in the air, not looking back._

---------------------

"Hey wake up!"

Krad's eyes opened, it was dark out, he looked around for the person who interrupted his contemplating, it was the boy again, "_You_ again. Why are you here?"

"You fell asleep."

"Oh..."

"You better get back to your cabin city-boy"

"Why should I, Mr. Cowboy-sir."

"That's Dark Mousy to you."

"Alright Dark Mousy, I guess I'm suppose to be heading back to my cabin now."

Dark watched the blonde get up, brush himself off and headed off towards his cabin, "Oi you! What are you called blondie?"

The blonde yelled back, "That's Krad Hikari to you!"

-----------------------

That night, Krad woke up to the sound of someone crying his heart out, he headed outside, there stood a lonely figure with bright red hair, Krad walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder, "Oi..."

The boy looked up, the pale silvery moonlight revealing tear-filled red eyes, he sniffed and wiped them away, "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

Krad shook his head, "There something wrong?"

"Iya betsuni..."

The blonde snorted, not convincing at all, so he laid down on the grass and stared at the stars, something he didn't see a lot of at home, or bothered to, "Fine then, I'll just sleep here until you decide to fess up."

He heard a sniffle, he looked over, the redhead's lips were trembled, the blonde thought he was going to burst out crying, "Would you listen though?"

Krad nodded, the redhead inhaled deeply, then he wailed, "I'm so confused I swear I don't have the slightest clue on what to do!"

Krad blinked, what was he suppose to say? "...care to enlighten me?"

The boy sniffled again, "I'm Daisuke..."

He looked at Krad, "...Krad..."

Daisuke nodded and continued, "You must be a guest here...umm...you see, there's this girl, Harada-san, she comes here every year in summer, and this boy, Hiwatari-kun, he works here so he's here all year round."

"I see...and you don't know who you like."

The redhead's eyes widened, but he nodded, "The problem is that even if I like Harada-san, she likes Dark-kun, so should I just go with Hiwatari-kun?"

Krad shrugged lazily, "Do you like this Hiwatari boy?"

"Well he's my friend and he's really nice to me."

"And the Harada girl?"

"She's...nice..."

"Is that all you can say?"

Daisuke looked down to think, "She's nice to Dark-kun and really polite..."

"Hm? Honestly, she doesn't sound nice to me, I'd just stick with the boy..."

The redhead gave a small smile, "Thanks, I needed to talk to someone."

"Dai-chan!"

Daisuke spun around, "Dark-kun!"

Krad didn't look, "Your mom's looking for you."

"Oh, okay, I'll be going now, thanks for listening Krad-kun!"

"Hn."

Dark looked down to see long strands of gold, glowing under the moonlight, "Hey it's you! What are you doing here!?"

"Can't you tell simply by looking? I'm watching the stars."

"You're going to catch a cold if you go outside without a jacket, city boy."

Krad rolled his eyes, he got up, "How would that concern you?"

"You get sick or hurt, our insurance is expensive, you could sue, we'd all end up broke, anyways, it's our job."

"Oh no, I never thought it was your _job_to keep me cleansed of germs. Alright then cowboy, I might as well just make my way back to the nice, safe and _warm _cabin where I won't need my jacket."

Dark watched the blonde walk away again for the second time that day, _stuck up_, he thought, then he noticed that the blonde was barefooted, "Why'd you come out here without shoes?"

Krad turned around, "Is there a law against it?"

"No."

"Okay then, I came out here because I heard the kid crying so I decided to check it out, happy?"

"Shouldn't you be in bed getting your beauty sleep?"

"Shouldn't _you _be in bed?"

"We usually stay up late."

"Well so do I."

Dark scratched his head, he simply couldn't figure this guy out, he ran up to the trudging blonde, "At least take my shoes."

"Hm? You still have work to do, it's not like my cabin's a mile away."

"Whatever, just take them, I'm use to walking around without shoes."

"...how about I wear them to my cabin then give it them back?"

Dark shrugged, "Whatever."

Krad headed back, _stange person..._

---------------------

He huffed as he jammed a piece of pancake into his mouth and chewed, he didn't like people who came from the cities, he didn't like the boy that sat across from him. Dark was convinced that he knew their type, rich, spoiled, nosy and horribly arrogant. They always came during summer. The girls flirted with him, not that he really minded, but they usually ended up ruining all his summer fun, they were so convinced that a couple weeks and they'd be expert ranchers. The only thing that stood out about the blonde was not only his appearance, but his eyes, those golden eyes filled with...emptiness? Yes, emptiness like he had nothing to live for and a flicker of loneliness and regret. What did a little filthy rich, pampered boy like him be sad and lonely about? Dark could tell him plenty about sorrow if he wanted to, _goddamn it, just forget about him, stop thinking about him, he's not worth it, don't think about him..._but he couldn't stop thinking about the boy.

---------------------

Nya

there's going to be a bit of DaixSat on the side nya :D Erm...the comments might suck, I'm not feeling the greatest, so yea...sorry!

**Hakudoshi-chan**- Thankies! My first reviewer for this fic! Plot twists are fun! It's basically my mind going insane while I'm typing so....yay me I guess!

**berettaboy**- No worries, Daisuke and Satoshi's going to be there, can't really leave them out now can I? Oh yea, thanks for being my second reviewer!

**babymar-mar**- Nya Riding horses are fun, even though it's a bumpy ride and you feel all exhausted afterwards, not sure why I picked horses instead of a big pen full of pigs...hm...

**Kloudy Reignfall**- Yea...this is different from my other fics isn't it? I guess I felt like writing a more or less depressed fic, with horses! :D Hope you like this chapter!

**Ailin**- Dark and Krad pairing is like the best pairing ever, I'm not sure why I like it but I do! Actually I'm more or less obsessed with it. :) I'll try to update the other fics soon nya

**golden-flame4**- It's a hobby of mine or something, picking on Krad is easier than picking on Dark since he's all fragile looking and all. Thankies for the review! XD

**Seena58**- Action-packed fics...I like the sound of that, makes me sound like a somewhat good writer :D Ranches are fun, but smelly, but fun and all the horses are really pretty :D


	3. Chapter 3

All the Pretty Little Horses

_There's a ranch called Golden Hope, filled with beautiful horses and lush forests…and they say…that if you ever get lost or wander off the path…a golden angel will guide you back…_

Chapter 3:

That morning, Dark awoke to the most beautiful sound of the piano being played. As far as he was concerned, there was only one piano around, it was in the main hall,placed therefor special occasions. Someone was playing a song, a song that he had never heard before. Dark got out of bed, put on his hat and slipped into the main hall to where the piano was. He wasbeyond surprised to find Krad, his fingers hitting the keys at an extreme pace but never making mistakes. There was no sheet music in front of him, Dark watched him in awe. When he finally struck the final chord and lifted his hands off the piano, the amethyst eyed boy started clapping, Krad whirled around, shock danced in his eyes.

"Dark! I didn't notice you there…"

"I doubt you did."

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"Nah," Dark bit his tongue at the lie, but he didn't mind being awoken by such a nice tune. "We usually get up this early, I was heading to the stables then I heard you playing and decided to check it out."

"Oh…"

Krad looked down, the sunlight hitting his golden hair making it look like he had a halo. Dark added hastily, "You didn't disturb me or anything, I was just wondering where the music was coming from. It sounded real good!"

The blonde blushed, "Iya betsuni…"

Dark smirked, _kawaii…_then he mentally slapped him _snap out of it! Since when did you think of himas cute!?_He looked up, Krad was getting ready to leave, "H-hey, you gonna play again?"

Krad looked at him, "Sure, maybe tomorrow."

The cowboy nodded dumbly, they looked at each other awkwardly, but luckily, Emiko called them for breakfast. They ate in silence, Krad excused himself and headed off to see the black stallion. Emiko tapped Dark's shoulder, "I think there's something you should know…"

Krad wascontently stroking the horse's muzzle when he head a loud, "WWWWHHHHHHYYYYYY!?!?!?"

The blonde raised a brow and went off to see what the hell that was, the horse nipped his collar, "I'll be back in a second."

He headed to the stables where the yell came from, inside was Dark stomping around and kicking dirt everywhere, then he flung himself at a horse hugging it tightly while the horse whinnied soothingly, "Goddamn it! Why!? It's not fair! Why do they have to come next week!? I don't want to see her! She's eeevvviiillll!!!"

Krad raised a brow soon becoming more amused than confused, the horse just whinnied sympathetically, "Who's coming?"

"Risa-chan! It's going to hell!!" A second later Dark looked up from the horse and gave a startled yelp when he spotted Krad, "What are you doing here?"

"At the moment? Listening to you throw a temper tantrum."

Dark snorted, regaining his composure, "You're going to be throwing a temper tantrum along with me next week."

"Why?"

"Because the mistress of hell is coming, that's why!"

"I see…and what are you going to do about it?"

"What _can _I do about it?"

"If you really don't want to see her that much, why not go and break a leg or get hospitalized from doing something stupid? And you can turn insane and get put into a nut house. Then there's always the option of enjoying things while you still can."

Dark laughed despite himself, "What great options, great advice coming from a rich city boy."

"What makes you think I'm rich?"

Before Dark could answer, Emiko called him, "Krad! Phone!"

The blonde looked back one last time before running out, Dark noted that he was sort of out of breath.He picked up the phone, "Krad speaking."

"Master Krad?"

"Riff?"

"Aa, how do you like the ranch so far?"

"It's fine…a lot of horses…"

"Are you seeing doctors?"

"Yea, I have an appointment later."

There was a sigh over the line, "That's good to hear, phone me after the appointment. If anything's wrong I can send for a plane immediately."

Krad smirked, "Yes mom."

He heard Riff laugh over the line, "I'll talk to you later."

"'Kay, bye."

----------------------------

Later that day Krad hitched a ride to see the town's doctor, who gave him nothing but bad news, "I'm afraid it's making a lot of progress, you really should consider going on AZT."

Krad shook his head, "No drugs."

Dark was feeding the horses when the blonde came back, Krad the pampered little rich kid. He saw him leave for town, probably went shopping, Dark snorted inwardly. Krad came back, shoulders slumped, he looked weary,the cowboyraised a brow, _maybe nothing in this town was expensive enough to satisfy him…_

The blonde walked sulkily towards his cabin, he picked up the phone and called his butler, "Let's just say it's been busy…"

"Master Krad, if you feel sick or anything please come home."

"Don't worry, I will, see you."

Krad frowned, he walked to the blank canvas he had set up the other day. Since there was nothing to do he decided to paint. He painted the first thing that he saw in his head, when he was done he stepped back and was shocked to see that he had drawn the black stallion.

"Oi you!"

The blonde headed out the door to see Dark, "I have a name you know!"

Dark stood there grinning, "Yea I know, but that's not the point right now, come down to the stables with me."

Krad followed him to the horses, "Why are we here?"

The violet haired boy kept his grin on, "Take your pick, unless you want me to pick one for you."

"What?"

"Pick which horse you want to ride, it'll be your temporary horse."

Krad blinked and looked at all his choices, finally he chose a white horse, "I like that one, he looks smart enough."

Dark was pleased, that was the horse he would've picked for him, "This white beauty is Shiroi, not a bad choice, he's all yours."

The blonde walked over to the white steed which whinnied excitedly, "Too bad the black one isn't here, I liked him the most."

"He's not quite ready for riding yet, he will be in awhile. And he seemed quite fond of you too."

Krad gave a little smile, "I'll live, so, who's this Risa girl?"

"She was sent from hell."

"You're going to have to be more specific."

"Err…well she's terrible, she chases you around on the trails squealing 'Wait up Dark-san!' the horses don't like her, and I don't like her, she's a bitch."

Krad blinked, "I see…" Suddenly he got a dizzy spell.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yea…must be all that information getting to my head, she sounds scary."

Dark chuckled, "She is, believe me. Well, I have to get back to work, see you."

"I'm taking Shiroi out on a trail."

"Suit yourself, don't get lost city boy."

"Whatever dimwit."

The two went their separate ways dismissing each other with a wave of a hand. On his way out with his horse, he heard someone call him, "Krad-kun!"

The blonde turned around, "Niwa?"

"It's Daisuke! Call me Daisuke!"

"My bad."

"It's okay."

"Aren't you supposed to be working?"

"Yea, I just wanted to tell you that Hiwatari-kun asked me to go on a picnic with him two days after tomorrow."

Krad wondered what it had to do with him, "That's nice, you should go."

"I was wondering if you'd like you come."

"And get between the two of you?" Krad shook his head, "Thanks but no thanks."

"Noooo, I mean come along then we can invite Dark too, he's been sorta down today."

The blonde looked at him closely, "Are you trying to play matchmaker!?"

Daisuke laughed, "Maybe, but still," his lips trembled. "Please?"

Krad sighed, "…fine…so two days after tomorrow right?"

"Yea, we're going around noon, right after lunch."

"Alright, I'll see you then."

The redhead beamed, "Okay! Bye!"

Krad looked at his horse who knickered and nuzzled him. The blonde got up on his horse and headed into the trail thinking about his life, which suddenly seemed very short, almost too short…

---------------------

Nya

Slow update, sorry! I'll have the next chapter up **_soon_**or at least as soon as I can! This chapter was kinda short! Sorry again! The next chapter will be longer! Yakusoku! And **_yes _**I stole Riff from Count Cain! Reason being I couldn't imagine Krad having one of those ugly old butlers! I mean killing him is bad enough but making him stuck with some old geaser just goes too far :P

**Hakudoshi-chan**- Yea I stole Riff, see reason above, -points up- glad you like the fic though nya, still my first reviewer :)

**Sheridan**- You'll find out in the later chapters, I'll be sure to include that part :) Riff seemed like a very suitable butler for Krad and making him stuck with some old guy just seemed a bit too mean :P

**Ailin**- You're welcome! Thankies for reviewing! :D I had a great day! Hope you have a nice day too :)

**golden-flame4-** o.O off Riff? ...who knows? :P lol, oh the possibilities of the fic XD Yea it's Riff from Count Caint, that way I don't have to describe his appearence, everyone knows and loves Riff :)

**babymar-mar-** HIV is the virus you get which leads to AIDS, AIDS being the final stage of HIV :) make sense? I just remembered awhile ago too since our class was discussing it :P

**Kloudy Reignfall-** There is no cure for HIV positive or AIDS so either way I guess death will come, maybe I shouldn't say this so happily :P makes me sound really sadistic but then again...I _am _killing him :P You're welcome! I couldn't really leave Daisuke and Satoshi out now could I nya?

**Senna58**- Hmm...why indeed...who knows? Krad's just so easy to target :P Easy prey XD Frosty politeness ne? That's a good phrase for it :) I'm cruel with a touch of sadisticness and along with all the other stuff like insanity and yea... :P

**Hikari Fubuki**- Yea, it's a bad habit of mine, killing Krad :P Ican't help it, it's just too fun to miss out on, and Dark didn't seem like the type to end up with HIV positive so Krad it ended up! Korean drama? What're they like? Never watched one o.o I'll try to update as much as possible!!!

**Billy Bob Joe the Third**- Sorry you don't like this fic...yea...that's just about all I can say...

**Lillith**- Sorry! I've been busy with other fics! Nah, like I'd actually stop writing fics! Yea it seems like forever waiting for a fic to update isn't it? Thankies! Talented and gifted XD huge ego boost! You flatter me too much nya


	4. Chapter 4

All the Pretty Little Horses

_There's a ranch called Golden Hope, filled with beautiful horses and lush forests…and they say…that if you ever get lost or wander off the path…a golden angel will guide you back…_

Chapter 4:

Three days later, Dark was the first to be ready, Daisuke had commented on how fast he saddled his horse, he just laughed and told the redhead that it came from practice, too embarrassed to confess that he wanted to see the blonde. To Krad's surprise, Dark was riding the black stallion with ease.

He raised a brow and asked with a little smirk playing on his lips, "So you've tamed the lord of the wild horses?"

Dark grinned with pride, "Yup! Have you saddled up Shiroi yet?"

"I will in a minute." He ran a hand over the stallion's muzzle.

The black horse whinnied happily as it nuzzled the blonde, Dark slid off and landed on the ground gracefully. Pulling on the reins gently as the horse got a little upset when the blonde headed into the stables, "Whoa, don't worry, he's coming back. Don't get all jealous now, he's not yours. You possessive horse."

The horse huffed and stared at the stables until Krad came back out with the white horse, he raised a brow, "What's the matter with him? He seems upset."

"It's nothing, he's just getting impatient."

Krad's lips curved up slightly, "Where are the other two?"

"Extra chores, they said that they'll catch up later."

"Oh, alright, shall we get going?"

Dark shrugged, inside, he was grinning like a maniac, "Sure."

They rode down the trail in silence, gentle winds blowing past them, ruffling leaves as it went. Krad tucked a couple strands behind his ear, admiring the scenery while Dark was admiring him. The cowboy stared at him in awe as the wind slipped through Krad's long golden hair with ease, his horse knickered at him, "Easy…"

Krad looked back, golden eyes shining, "This is amazing…"

"Aa, it's pretty isn't it?"

"Yea, absolutely breathtaking…"

Dark smiled to himself as he watched the blonde looking around as though trying to memorize all the details, the stopped abruptly, "We're here."

Krad raised a brow, they were in the middle of a trail as far as he was concerned, "Where?"

The cowboy grinned, "Paradise," he led Krad off the path and into a large field full of hay, the sun up and shining brightly.

The blonde gawked, "Whoa…"

Dark smirked proudly, "It's me and Daisuke's paradise, so far only you and creepy boy know about it."

His lips twitched, "Creepy boy?"

"Yup, Satoshi's name from me, honestly, I don't know what Dai-chan sees in him."

Krad stretched and looked up, "Love comes in all shapes and sizes, you never know where yours will be, apparently for Daisuke, it came with Satoshi." The way Dark talked so fondly of the redhead made Krad smiled, "Daisuke's like a little brother to you isn't he?"

Seeing the blonde smile made his heart thump twice as fast, "Yea, him and his parents are my only family left. My parents died in a car accident years ago."

"Oh…" _He's just like me…_ "I'm sorry."

"S'okay, Dai-chan should be here soon."

Right on cue, the two popped up, "Dark! Krad-kun! We're here!"

"What took you?"

"We had to give an oral report to Kaa-san about the place and the food we're bringing."

"So…what _did _you bring?"

"A whole basket of stuff."

"Stuff being…"

"You'll find out later when it's actually time to eat."

Krad felt out of place, such closeness, it felt like he didn't belong there. They all seemed to close and happy together, he might've been mistaken for decoration. Dark looked over and grinned, the transparent feeling started to pass, "Hey, you wanna take a walk?"

The blonde shrugged and followed Dark, Daisuke smiled and waved after them, "Have a nice time!"

Then Satoshi called out, "Knock him out if he starts hitting on you!"

Krad hid a smile, but Dark, who was staring at him saw it, "Don't worry, I won't go _that _crazy."

"That's reassuring…" There was a strange happy feeling that Krad couldn't describe, he shrugged it off.

"So what's a rich city boy like you doing in a place like this?"

"Why do you always insist that I'm rich?"

Dark shrugged, "It costs a lot for people to stay here, so it's only natural to assume that they're filthy rich."

Krad smirked, "Don't you know it's bad to assume? And I'm not just anyone, I'm different…" his gaze fell to is feet, _I'm different, so different…I'll never be able to be normal will I?_

"No…I realized that you were different when my horse didn't attack you and the fact that the amount you eat is way below average."

"And what does that imply?"

"It implies that you're not the same as anyone else who visits here."

_I'm the only onethat's dying here…_ "Sou…" They walked around aimlessly until the sun started setting, "You can't really see sun sets in the city…"

"Another reason why the ranch is better."

"Aa…"

"Maybe we should head back and see what kind of 'stuff' they brought."

Krad gave a little smile, "Hopefully it's edible."

Dark was watching him, he said mindlessly, "You look better when you smile…"

"What?"

Amethyst eyes widened, "Nothing! It'll be edible, Emiko checked it, very thoroughly I bet."

The blonde looked at him a bit longer, "…that's good, let's head back then."

"Sure." The two turned around and started walking back, soon the blue and red were in sight. They had everything set up, there were tons of choices, Dark gawked, "How much things can you stuff in that basket!?"

"A lot."

Krad blinked, Daisuke smiled at him, "Come on Krad-kun, dinner is served."

The blonde wasn't hungry but ate most of his share for the heck of it, "Oishii…"

Daisuke smiled happily, "That's good, I made it."

Dark grinned and fell over dramatically, "Crap! Food poisoning! Help! I'm dying!"

The redhead pouted, "Hidoi…"

Krad laughed, "You ate faster than any of us too."

"Because I was hungry!"

The three just laughed as Dark pouted. When nightfall came, the four had split up again, Dark and Krad had wandered away from the other two and were staring at the starts. Krad pointed upwards, "Look, a shooting star…"

"Whatcha gonna wish for?"

"No idea, you?"

_To see you laugh and smile again_, "For Risa to break a bone and not come."

Krad laughed, Dark beamed, _hallelujah, wish come true! Now if only the second part of it came true…_he looked back, the younger two were kissing under the stars. He pointed at them smirking, "They're getting hot, I always knew Dai-chan had it in him."

"Sou…do you really think we should be watching them and their little kiss?"

"I wish I had a camera…"

Krad just laughed again, "That's nice of you."

Golden eyes flickered to meet violet ones, they stared at each other, moving closer unconsciously. Then Krad blinked and turned away blushing while Dark mentally snapped his finger, so close! All he felt like doing was kissing the blonde until all the hollowness in his eyes disappeared. Was that so much to ask for!? Even a hug would do! Something, anything! Just so the blonde would open up and tell him what the hell was making him so miserable.

Krad looked down at his feet, his face felt hot, heart thumping rapidly in his chest. Their faces were within inches, a little bump or anything and they would've…he shook his head, it was best that he not think about it. Out of all times to start thinking about relationships. When that star fell, he really did have a wish, it wasn't to be free of his cursed disease, wishful thinking wouldn't get him anywhere. He wanted the rest of his life to go along as smoothly as it could, and if possible, with Dark. There was a part of him that felt like pouring out all his problems to the cowboy…_if he ever finds out you can just say goodbye to everyone forever, they'll kick you out and banish you from this place._

The blonde shook his head again and erased the very thought, that was just about the stupidest idea he'd ever thought of, he mentally scolded himself.

"Oi you two! We should be heading back now!"

Dark called back, "You two done making out?"

"U-urusai!"

The cowboy laughed and glanced over at Krad, he smiled, "Come on, let's go!"

Krad nodded dumbly and followed him.

---------------------

A couple days later, a car pulled up at the ranch early in the morning disturbing Krad and his piano playing, he looked outside. Dark yelped, Krad looked over watching the boy jump and run away. _Must be the evil girl from hell_, he mused. It was a girl alright, two actually, twins, he wondered which one was the hellish one. He headed outside hearing a, "Hi! Hmm…I wonder where Dark-san is."

Then a, "Mou…Risa, is that all you can say?"

Krad headed for the stables, "I thought you'd be here…"

"I'm doomed…"

The blonde rolled his eyes, he went over to his white horse, "Oh no, it's the hellish ghouls from the city! Whatever shall we do?"

"In a couple days you'll be hiding from them too."

"I heard that one before, and why would I be hiding? It's_ you_ she's after."

"Oh thanks a lot."

"You're welcome, who's the other girl?"

"Oh, Riku-chan, she's neutral, no grudge against her."

"Dark-san!"

"Ah shit…"

Krad smirked, "I wish you good luck in the upcoming battle for life and sanity."

Dark sighed, "Fun, fun, fun…"

Suddenly a girl with long brown hair stepped into the stabled, "There you are!"

The cowboy gulped, Krad just watched from the sidelines, amused. Dark forced a smile, "R-Risa-chan! Good to see you!"

Risa smiled cheerfully, "I missed you Dark-san!"

Dark gave a nervous laugh, "Sou…"

The white stallion whinnied, Krad stroked its muzzle trying to calm it down, "It's okay…"

The girl snapped her attention to the blonde making him inwardly sweat, "Who's that?"

"Oh him, that's Krad."

Krad gave a little nod and turned back to the horse letting his breath out.

"New worker?"

"No, he's here on vacation."

"Oh…"

The blonde swallowed hard sensing the girl's disapproving glare drilling through his back. He grabbed the saddle and set it up, "I'll be taking Shiroi for a hike…see you…"

Dark's eyes widened, Krad was ditching him to face Risa all alone!? He wasn't going to get away that easily, "B-but…it's so early!"

Krad heard the franticness in his voice, he turned around raising a brow, "So…is it dangerous or something?"

His mind went crazy trying to think up reasons, "You might get lost…not to mention the ferocious and...wild animals…out…there…" In his head he imagined a rabbit, a dumb looking one too.

The blonde's eyes were shining with amusement, _don't laugh, don't laugh…_"Well alright then…why don't you come along incase I get 'lost' or something Mr. All-might-cowboy."

"Alright then, it's settled…" Dark wanted to kiss the blonde for rescuing him, he even ignored the little insult.

"I'll come too!"

"…don't you have to unpack? Rick-chan's going to get awfully upset…"

"Upset is right! You better help unpack before you start flirting with your Dark-san!"

A short haired girl appeared and dragged Risa away, "But-"

"No buts!"

Once they were gone, Dark gave a sigh of relief, "Thank god she's gone…"

Krad gave him a funny look, "Get lost with ferocious wild animals?"

"Shut up! I couldn't think of anything else!"

The blonde smirked, "Whatever you say."

"At least she's gone…"

"For now…" Krad reminded him.

"Thanks for reminding me of my foretold doom."

"Anytime," the blonde saddled up his horse and headed out.

"And where are you going?"

"Like I said, I'm going on a possibly 'dangerous' trail." He said with a laugh.

"Mock me will you!?"

"I will mock who I please."

Dark sighed, "Wait up for me." And Krad did just that, they went into the forest going around aimlessly, "I wish there was a Risa-chan free zone to sit and do nothing…"

"What about the field?"

The cowboy shook his head, "She almost found it last time, horrifying beyond words."

Krad looked up to think for a moment, the sky was covered in clouds, "Well there _is _this one place…"

He led Dark a little deeper into the forest until they came across a clearing, ruins of an old church stood before them. Dark looked around in amazement, "How did you find a place like this!?"

"Stumbled across it the other day."

"Whoa…" The stone walls were entangled with wines, wooden columns invaded by moss. Krad got off his horse and tied it up to a nearby tree, Dark followed. Together, they headed into the church where only a couple benches remained standing. "It's so peaceful…"

"Aa, this is where I go to contemplate."

"Contemplate what?"

"Stuff…"

"What stuff? Damn I'm sick of that word."

"Life, death, home…stuff…"

"Life and death?"

Krad nodded, "Do you find itstrange?"

"Not really, but why contemplate it?"

He shrugged, _for reasons you'll never know…_ "Don't know."

"You're a weird one."

"So you've told me." Krad stretched out on the field of grass outside, "I'll be sleeping now, oyasumi."

Dark watched him, there was a serene look on his face, he resisted the urge to play with his long golden hair. Sighing, he flopped down beside him and a little content smile played on his face at how close they were, "I guess I'll be joining you then."

"Hn."

-----------------------

Nya

The next chapter is finally up! XD Hmm...do I have anything to say? Wait...yes I do! XD Risa's finally arrived! The horror of it all XP Yes I don't like her...why? I just don't...

I'm sorry! I don't have enough time to put comments! :( I will the next chapter! Thank you to each and every single one of you who reviewed!!!! Oh my god I'm so sorry :( I have to go! Bye!


	5. Chapter 5

All the Pretty Little Horses

_There's a ranch called Golden Hope, filled with beautiful horses and lush forests…and they say…that if you ever get lost or wander off the path…a golden angel will guide you back…_

Chapter 5:

He woke up, there was something cuddling his arm. The first thing he saw was gold, a lot of golden strands, not to mention the warm breath on his arm. Almost, he _almost _sat up but then he remembered where he was. He must've fallen asleep, looking at his arm he saw the blonde semi-curled up against him, nuzzling his arm.

The day was still bright, it must've been around noon. Dark smirked and pecked the blonde on the cheek, Krad stirred and mumbled to himself, then he sat up and looked around.

"Good morning sleeping beauty."

"Ohayou…" He replied childishly while rubbing his eyes, he looked around, "Dark? What are you doing here?"

Dark smirked watching the blonde yawn, "You don't remember?"

"Remember what?" Krad blinked and looked around, "Oh, never mind."

"We should be heading back, I'm pretty sure my break's over, and it'll be lunch soon."

"Aa…"

The two of them headed back to their horses, Dark frowned watching the blonde stumble a bit. "You okay?"

"Yea…"

He felt his forehead, "No you're not, you have a fever."

Krad shook his head, "Must be the temperature, I'm fine, really."

Hesitantly Dark nodded and got onto his horse. Every couple minutes Dark would look back at the blonde who looked too pale and dazed for his own good. He would've sped up but he was afraid that Krad would fall off his horse. When they got back the first greeting was, "Dark-san! You're back!"

Dark nodded and lead the white horse to the stables, "Krad?" The blonde had slumped over on his horse,unresponding, "Krad!"

He got the horse into the stall and slid the blonde off. Krad dropped limply into his arms, fever burning high, "Shit…Krad, come on, wake up!"

The blonde merely groaned and shuffled a bit. Dark frowned again, he picked up the blonde and headed outside where Risa was waiting for him, she looked at the unconscious boy in his arms, "What happened to him?"

"He's running a fever, taking him back to his room."

Dark headed towards Krad's cabin, it wasn't hard, carrying the blonde that is. Krad was too light for his size, the cowboy figured it was from the lack of appetite. He kicked open the door and stepped inside and was amazed, the room was neat and tidy, not a single thing looked out of place. The cowboy shook his head and focused on his task at hand. He set the unconscious blonde down onto the bed and laid the blanket over him, "Now how'd you manage to run a fever at a time like this?"

He sighed and grabbed a bowl and filled it with water. He scurried around the cabin until he found a piece of cloth, he soaked it in the water and laid it on the blonde's forehead. Dark sighed and pushed long golden bangs out of Krad's face, "Reckless…"

Dark looked around, there was an empty canvas in the corner, _a canvas? Is he a painter?_ There was a groan, the cowboy turned back to the blonde, he re-soaked the cloth and put it back on his head, "You're really burning up, maybe I should call the doctor…"

Just then the phone rang, the cowboy jumped and went over to pick it up, "Hello?"

"Master Krad?"

Dark blinked, "No…he's kind of sick right now…"

"What? What happened?"

The cowboy wondered who was on the other side, "He has a fever."

"Shall I call his doctor?"

Maybe it was his father, no...it couldn't be... "Sure."

"Alright, thank you."

"Bye."

Click. Dark stared at the phone, it sounded like his guardian, he walked back to the bed and changed the cloth again, the fever was still high, "Who was that?" He frowned wondering if it was someone who was close to the blonde, he was starting to get jealous, then he shook his head again, _I'm **not** jealous! I'm not!

* * *

_

He stayed in and waited until the doctor came in. He watched the doctor treat the blonde, he bit his lip, "Is he…going to be okay?"

The doctor glanced at him, with hesitation? "Yes, he'll be fine just a little worn out, that's all."

"What's wrong with him?"

Again, the doctor paused, "He's just been out in the sun for too long."

The doctor was lying, Dark concluded, but he wasn't going to press it. He left the cabin and into the dining room for dinner, Emiko watched him, "How's Krad?"

"The doctor's helping him."

Risa took a bite of her food, "I guess he can't join us for the trail tomorrow…"

Dark stared at his food, his appetite was long gone, _she sounds real upset about it._ "I don't think I can go to the trail tomorrow."

The girl pouted, "Aww why?"

"Have to take care of and tame the lord of the wild horses." He winced remembering that's what Krad had called the stallion.

"But-"

He pushed his plate away and stood up, "Excuse me."

"Dark-san…"

The rancher left the room and headed back to the blonde's cabin, the doctor was gone and Krad was sleeping. He pulled up a chair and waited, finally, the blonde stirred, "It's about time you woke up."

"Nnn? What happened?" He asked, speech a little slurred.

"You caught a fever and fainted."

"Why are you here?"

"We have to take care of our guests, the doctor will be back tomorrow."

"Sorry to be a burden…"

Dark rolled his eyes, "You're in no position to be saying that." Krad chuckled, the cowboy watched him cough, "Whoa, don't strain yourself."

The blonde sighed, Dark wanted to lighten the mood that had just fallen, "I should've known a city-boy like you would've gotten sick if he stayed outside for more than an hour."

The blonde smiled, "And I should've guessed that a country-boy like you would survive it."

"That's right! Completely immune to this."

"Whatever you say Mr. Cowboy."

For once, Dark noticed something, "You don't tan, you know that? You fall asleep in the sun and you don't tan one bit."

"Must be a gift."

"Not if someone were to mistaken you for a ghost."

Krad laughed, "What a pleasant thought, I suppose you thought of me as a ghost too?"

_More like an angel…_ "Sure did, scared my socks off."

"The great cowboy Dark Mousy frightened by little ol' me?"

Dark grinned, "You only wish."

"I suppose."

"Well, I have work to do, goodnight, I expect you to stay put in your bed, got it?"

"Yes sir, but of course sir."

"If I see you out, I'll have you sleep in the stables with the horses."

"Oh no sir, of course sir, I understand sir, goodnight sir."

Dark smirked and headed out the door, "Goodnight."

Krad laid in his bed and sighed, he pressed a hand against his forehead, still burning. The blonde frowned and shut his eyes, it didn't take him very long to fall asleep. _Thank you…

* * *

_

The next morning the twins and the younger pair of boys set on their trail ride. Dark smiled and saw them off then turned his attention to the black horse in front of him, "Are you going to put up another fight?"

The horse nickered and started nipping on his shirt in annoyance, "Hey! Why are you taking it out on _me_? I'm not the one who got him sick!" The stallion just whinnied and turned his back to the cowboy, "Oi, I'm talking to you!" Then a car pulled in, it was the doctor. Dark blinked and hopped off the fence he had begun to climb and watched the man get out of the car. His horse too, turned around and watched, "Oh _now_ you turn around."

The doctor knocked on the cabin door and in a bit the blonde opened it, he took his hat off and bowed, Krad offered him to go inside and he accepted. Then the door closed. Dark just blinked, the horse gave him a questioning neigh, "Oh shush you."

* * *

"So how are you feeling today?" 

"Better I suppose."

"That's good to hear." Krad nodded, the doctor handed him pilled, "These should get rid of that fever you have."

"Thank you…" His voice was still hoarse and his throat felt terrible.

"Now as for your progress…"

"I'm not getting better."

"Yes that much is clear, but it seems to be stabilized for the time being."

"Funny, I don't feel it worsen or heal."

The doctor shook his head and sighed, "You won't be able to feel the effects until it does more damage."

"Hm?"

"Well," He packed up his things, "Call and set up another appointment soon."

"Hai."

"You better call that butler of yours, he seems mighty worried."

"Will do, thank you."

After the doctor left, Krad picked up the phone and called home, "Hello, Hikari residence."

"Hey Riff."

"Master Krad! How are you?"

"Well, the fever's gotten better…"

"That's relieving."

Krad chuckled, "I'm surprised you haven't packed up and hit the road."

"Of course not! I'm staying with here until this is all over."

The blonde blinked, _until I die…_ "Thank you Riff…" He saw Dark approaching his cabin, "Well I have to go, bye."

"Take care, Master Krad."

"Aa…" Krad put down the phone and headed out the door to greet Dark, "What are you doing here? I thought you went on the trail ride with the other four."

"And put up with the twins?"

The blonde smirked, "Oh no, god forbids it."

"Precisely."

The two smiled and the day went on peacefully. A couple days later, things went back to as they were, Krad headed to the stables to see to his horse. Passing by the black stallion he smiled and stroked its muzzle, "Well I haven't seen you in awhile. Dark hasn't named you yet now has he?" The horse neighed, "Shame on him, I'll have to ask him about it won't I?"

He smiled and headed into the stables to tend to his own horse. Inside he saw Dark by his horse, "What are you doing here?"

Dark blinked and looked up, "Well you weren't exactly in shape to take care of your horse so I took over the job," then he added hastily, "temporarily."

"Ah well, thank you. Did you name that black horse yet?"

"Next to lord of the wild horses, no. Wait…Emiko called him king of the jugheads."

Krad raised a brow, amused, "Jugheads?"

"Horses with no sense, very irrational, they haven't been broken in yet."

"Breaking a horse in sounds so barbaric…"

"How about domesticate?"

"Better…I never knew you knew such a big word."

Dark stuck his tongue out, "Just because I don't read all that much doesn't mean I'm uneducated or something! Wait…you're not calling me stupid are you?"

Golden eyes looked away while he grinned, "No, of course not…"

"I'm not stupid!"

"I didn't say you were."

"You were implying it."

"Now why would I do that?"

The cowboy huffed and turned around, Krad yawned and stretched then winced, when he brought his hand back down there was blood coming out of his palm. The blonde was mortified, he stood there staring at his hand. Dark frowned and looked, "Let me see that, it looks pretty deep." Krad continued staring at his hand, blood, his blood, his contaminated blood… "Krad? Let me see it."

The blonde, dumbfounded, shook his head, he couldn't find the words to explain to Dark, the rancher gave him a firm look, "Come on, it couldn't be that bad…"

Again, Krad shook his head stubbornly, "Don't touch it!"

Dark looked up in shock, "Why? It's not like I don't know first aid!"

Krad held his arm at his side not caring that the blood smeared onto his clothes…as long as it didn't touch Dark, "Sorry, just don't touch it."

"But-"

"I'll get a doctor to look at it or something."

"What? Do you not trust me?"

"That's not it! Just…just don't!" With that said he ran back to his cabin.

* * *

Nya 

Here's the next chapter:O Oh no, Krad got hurt again and we all know that if someone else comes in contact with the blood of a person with HIV positive (or something like that) they get the disease (or something). Hmmm...what shall I name the big stallion of black? Gak, out of time again, bye! Ummm...comments next chapter! I promise! So review! XD


	6. Chapter 6

All the Pretty Little Horses

_There's a ranch called Golden Hope, filled with beautiful horses and lush forests…and they say…that if you ever get lost or wander off the path…a golden angel will guide you back…_

Chapter 6:

He stared at the blood that dripped onto the floor, this was his blood…his diseased, cursed blood. It was dangerous, for once, the thought hit him with a huge impact, he was a hazard… The doctor came and bandaged it up, checking up on his illness before he left, he shook his head, "No one was around you at the time right? Or at least they didn't touch the blood right?" Krad shook his head, "Good, you're lucky you don't need stitches."

"Am I…a hazard here?"

"No, as long as you're careful."

When the doctor left, he sighed and headed to the main hall where the piano was. There was a phone hanging from the wall, he decided to call Riff.

"Are you alright?"

"Yea…hey Riff, maybe I should go home now…"

"Why? Is it because you're afraid of your disease spreading? If it is then I'll deny the request, you'll leave only when you're ready. Not out of fear, now Master Krad, please, be careful."

"I...will…"

Krad blinked and stared at the phone he had put down, he never thought that Riff would say no to him going home. Wonders would never cease to amaze him…he stared at the piano, seated himself down and began playing, he avoided stressing his arm though, in fear of opening up his wound.

------------------------

Outside Dark was grooming his horse, mind still whirling from what had happened in the morning. He heard the sound of the piano and relaxed a bit. He had been listening to that song for quite sometime now, he'd end up whistling it when he least expected. Did the blonde have hemophobia? He snorted, if the blonde was afraid of anything, it certainly wouldn't be his own blood. Then he felt something nip at his hair, he turned around to face his horse, "Hey! What am I? A carrot?"

The black horse just nickered agreeingly. "Yea, you're real nice. I know my hair's nice and all but you really don't have to go and chew on it." Again, the horse nickered, Dark sighed, he wasn't going to get an answer out of something that couldn't talk…in any known language to the world, "Well if ain't gonna talk, I guess I will. So…what do you think is wrong with him?"

A moment later he sighed again, "Don't know either? You're useless." The horse snorted.

"What? You're talking to horses now?"

The cowboy turned around, relief swept through him though he hid it quite well, "I see you're better."

"In some ways I suppose, couldn't be much better than your mental state at the moment."

"What? Take that back!"

"Why should I? You _are_ talking to horses." The stallion whinnied happily.

"Don't you dare go on his side!" The horse trotted over to the blonde and ignored his tamer. "Get back here! Stupid horse! Stupid stupid horse!"

The blonde shook his finger, "And what did I just say about you talking to horses? Dark? It does nothing for your reputation."

Dark snorted, "So what? If talking to plants help them grow, why not animals?"

"Because half the time, you don't know whether they actually understand you or not, for example, your horse could be laughing at you right now and we wouldn't know it."

The black horse bobbed his head, "Laugh at me?" Dark pointed accusingly at the horse, "That does it! Don't be expecting any treats tonight!"

It tossed his head and whinnied complainingly to the blonde who in turned smiled and stroked its muzzle, "It's okay, you know Dark, I wouldn't be surprised if he were to _accidentally_ make you fall one day…"

"Now who's talking to horses?"

"Hm? I'd have to say you."

"Fine whatever, just don't go filling the horse's head full of ideas."

"And why would I do such things?" The blonde asked quite innocently.

"I'm not sure why you do a lot of things-"

"Dark-san!"

Krad leaned against the fence petting the horse, hiding a scowl behind a grin, "Guess who's back?"

Dark sighed, "I'll be right back, I have to go and face hell…"

"Good luck with that."

The cowboy grinned and headed off with an extremely fake smile, "Risa-chan! You guys are back! How was the trail?"

"You should've been there!"

"Oh?"

"Yea! You should've been there! It's so much funner with you around!"

"You know I have a lot of work to do here…"

Risa pouted, "But…"

"Maybe next time, how about that?"

"Really?"

Krad sighed, listening to the girl throw herself at the other boy, the horse whinnied, "Yes?" The horse simply tossed his head and looked at his tamer then back to the blonde, "Are you trying to imply something? You know I can't, whether I want to or not I can't. Even if you didn't know, you know now, I can't. I'll probably have to leave soon anyways."

Dark had headed back and heard the last part of it, he couldn't help but feel upset that the blonde was going to leave soon, "Oh? Who's talking to horses now?"

The blonde snorted and placed his smirk back on, "Yes, in fact, your horse is great at conversations, much better than you I might add."

"So now I'm ranked below a horse? How nice."

"How was the worse case scenario over there?"

"Terrible like any worse case scenario would be?"

"I see…sounds terrible indeed."

Dark grinned, "Would you like to trade shoes for a day? I sure could take a break."

The blonde hid the bitterness of his laugh, "You wouldn't be taking much of a break."

"At least you don't have to deal with the mistress of hell."

_At least you don't have to be dying._ "True, but it doesn't sound like a very fair trade now does it?"

"No, I suppose not. How's your hand?"

"It's really not that bad."

"Need stitches?"

"You only wish."

"Krad…"

Golden eyes blinked and turned to the cowboy who looked semi-deep in thought, "Yea?"

"Never mind." Krad couldn't help but blush at the cowboy's serious tone, it made his heart speed up, was that why the girl fell for him? He shook his head, and looked down to hide his blush. "Krad? You okay?"

"Yea…" Then a certain horse's head went and ruffled up his hair, "Hey!" The stallion whinnied and snorted, the blonde sighed and untied his hair. Dark gawked, his long golden hair was gorgeous, he watched, mesmerized as Krad tied it back up again scowling under his breath. He glanced over at the cowboy who was staring at him with an unreadable expression, "…Dark? Mister Cowboy sir?" He waved a hand in the boy's face earning him a just-snapped-out-of-a-trance look.

"Yea?"

"You zoned out for awhile there…"

"Really? My bad."

Golden eyes blinked, "Is there something on my face?"

"…yea…"

Krad blinked again, "Where?"

Dark grinned and walked over, tucking in a strand of hair behind the boy's ear, "You have a little dirt on your cheek." He cupped the blonde's face and with his thumb, brushed the pale cheek which now tinted pink.

"Thanks…"

"No problem." He looked at the blonde realizing how close they were, a little closer and they would be…

"Dark-san!"

Mentally cursing in as many languages as he knew, he turned around and faced the girl with a wavering smile, "Yes Risa-chan?"

"Youraunt was calling you." She turned and glared at the blonde who merely blushed and looked down, "I think she has work for you to do."

Krad watched Dark leave with the girl on his tail, his heart was still beating out of control, something whinnied and nuzzled him, he stroked the horse's muzzle. He suddenly felt faint, like he was going to collapse, the horse whinnied again, "I'll be fine."

-------------------

He frowned, leaning against the wall for support, it was getting really difficult to keep himself up. At least he had made it to his cabin with little trouble, once inside, he let out a soft sigh and a cough. He probably needed to go soon, he didn't feel like leaving, not with Dark here…with Risa stalking him.

The blonde sat on the bed and stretched, he was getting tired already and the sun wasn't even down yet…maybe he was becoming nocturnal. Shrugging it off, he laid down and went to sleep.

-----------------------

It was dinner time, Krad didn't show up, Dark went to go get him. He knocked on the door but no one answered, so he decided to simply go in. Inside, he found the blonde asleep, deciding that he didn't want to wake him up, he grinned and threw a blanket over him. "Good night, sweet dreams."

-----------------------

Krad sat up and looked around, it was morning already? He looked down confused, he didn't remember getting a blanket…maybe it was Dark…snorting to himself, yea right. Stretching, he got up and headed outside, he probably missed breakfast but he wasn't hungry. The blonde frowned as a dizzy spell suddenly came over him, he looked up, it looked like it was going to rain soon.

He headed down towards the main hall when he was greeted by a familiar voice, "You're awake!" The blonde turned around to find a very energetic cowboy grinning at him, "I went to get you but you were asleep yesterday so I left you there, you hungry?" Krad blinked and shook his head, so it _was_ Dark last night, he followed the other boy into the kitchen and caught a piece of bread that had been thrown to him, "Eat it anyways."

The blonde shrugged and took a small bite of the bread, "Aren't you supposed to be on the trail with she-whom-we-do-not-speak-of?"

Dark groaned, "Ugh, don't remind me, it's in twenty minutes. You gonna come?"

"And get in the middle of your wonderful conversation which involves her talking to you nonstop? …like every time she sees you? I'd rather not, that and the fact that she _hates_ me!"

"She doesn't hate you…okay, maybe just a little, but still! It'll be fun! Come on!"

The blonde snorted, "Either way you're going to have to deal with her."

"Well, misery loves company."

"Aren't Daisuke and Satoshi going?"

"Yes, but they're too busy with each other to help me or to notice anything at all!"

Krad crossed his arms, "I don't see the purpose of me going." The cowboy just gave him the grin that he couldn't say no to no matter how hard he tried, "Whatever, I'll just go to watch you in your living hell, it ought to amuse me."

"I'll let that go today, but thanks."

"You owe me _big_ time." Krad huffed, then he turned and headed for the stables. When he reached there he blinked, "I forgot to ask him about the horse's name again…"

-------------

The trail wasn't so bad, with the exception of the nonstop talking from none other than, Risa, who talked endlessly to a very zoned out Dark. Behind those two, rode Krad and Riku who watched the two in front boredly, and in the very back, were the happy couple. Daisuke and Satoshi, riding side by side while holding hands, the blonde felt embarrassed to turn around, feeling like he was interrupting a somewhat private moment between the two, so he watched the two in front. Sighing, he asked the girl's sister quietly, not that Risa or Dark could've heard over him over her talking, "What's wrong with your sister?"

Riku returned the sigh, "I've been trying to figure that out all my life."

"Dark-san!"

The cowboy jolted up and looked around, "Y-yes?"

Krad smirked, as he turned around and shot him a desperate glance and mouthed the words, _help!_ He turned around to face the other two, and shot them a smirk, gesturing at Dark, Daisuke smiled and nodded, "Hey, let's take a break here, it might start raining soon and it'd be better if we didn't go too far."

They tied their horses onto a tree and had spread out around the area. Dark headed to the blonde who was somewhat away from the group and leaning against a tree, "Thanks for the save."

"You looked like you were about to die."

"I was. What's on your mind?"

Golden eyes looked up, "Hmm? I was just wondering what you named your horse."

Dark blinked and scratched his head, then he said with a smile, "Actually, I haven't named it yet. Why don't you name it? I mean it seems pretty fond of you."

"Me?"

"Yea sure, why not?"

Krad looked back at the horse, the cowboy watched him, "Kokuyoku…"

"Black wings? Alright, Kokuyoku it is, better than what I had in mind."

"Hm?"

"I was actually thinking of something like Fluffy."

The blonde's lips twitched, "Fluffy?"

"Yea, I'm not exactly good at naming."

Krad broke out into a grin, "No really, Fluffy?"

"Oh get off my back! I named your horse!"

"Shiroi?"

"Yea, I named him."

"I suppose that's better than Fluffy…" He said, suppressing a laugh.

Dark's offended frown turned into a smirk, "Well, since you like that name so much, I might as well start calling you that, so how about it? Fluffy."

Krad blushed, "What?"

"Nothing, nothing, we'd better get going before it rains, Fluffy-kins." The blonde was about to protest but began to cough instead, Dark frowned, "Krad? You alright?" Krad nodded, "I thought you said you fever was gone."

"It is, it's just a cold." He lied.

"Well...don't push yourself, wouldn't want you bedridden again."

Krad couldn't help but notice how nice Dark was being, "Thank you…"

The cowboy looked away feeling heat rise to his cheeks, "Hn, no one wants you sick again."

The blonde gave a little smile, "Sou…ka?" _That's a shame really, because I haven't really gotten better at all._

"Dark! Krad-kun! We're heading back now!"

"Yea! Stop making out and let's go!"

The two blushed but then Dark retorted, "Like you should be talking, creepy!"

"Shut up and come on!"

The rancher grinned victoriously, "Come on, let's go."

Krad nodded and followed him back, he found a smiling Daisuke, a grumbling Satoshi, Riku already mounting onto her horse and a very unsatisfied Risa. He felt something patter on his head, he looked up, "It's raining…"

Soon enough it began to pour, they all rode back in the rain. Krad shivered, he was going to be lectured for this, suddenly, a denim jacket was stuck in his face, he blinked before looking at the owner. Apparently it was the jacket that had been tied onto Dark's waist, "Here, I mean, you're still sick and all…"

"Won't _you _get cold?"

He grinned, "I'm immune to this remember?"

The blonde accepted the jacket, it was still warm, "Thank you."

"Hey, no problem."

Risa glared at the blonde, why did Dark give his jacket to him instead of her? Because he was sick, yea, that had to be the reason, she reassured herself. She continued to watch the two, Dark was smiling and it looked absolutely breathtaking, he never smiled at her like that around her! He usually just gave her that grin of his, she wished the blonde would simply disappear!

-----------------------

It had been raining for a couple days now, the four had gone out on a trail again, not that he cared. He headed to the fenced area where the black horse was, the horse trotted over to him. Despite how wet it was, he stroked the horse's head, "Kokuyoku…" Lightning cracked above him causing him to look up.

Then he heard galloping, he turned around to find a horse running towards him, it reared onto its hind legs, golden eyes widened, he watched powerless to stop the horse from crashing down on him. The last thing he remembered was a panicked Risa getting off the horse before he lost consciousness.

Risa got off her horse, it had been terribly spooked by the lightning and she lost control of it. She saw the unconscious blonde on the ground and screamed for help. The first person to hear her cries was Dark, he came running over, immediately, Risa clung onto his arm, "What happened?" He glanced over at his very distressed horse; it tossed its head and whinnied angrily.

"My horse got scared by the lightning and begun to run then it reared and it hit Krad-san!"

Dark shook his arm free and ran to the blonde, he checked for a pulse, "He's alive, thank god…"

"Dark-san…" The cowboy threw her a glance, "I don't think he's breathing…" Amethyst eyes widened as he turned his attention back to the blonde, he swore, and took off his jacket, kneeling beside the blonde, Risa shrieked, "Dark-san! You aren't going to-"

"He's going to die if I don't!" Brown eyes widened, and she remained silent as he watched the cowboy try to save the blonde's life. Dark took a deep breath, the only thing that was on his mind was saving Krad, he took another breath then sealed the blonde's mouth with his own.

-------------------

Nya

Weeeeee! Dark's giving Krad CPR! XD More fluffiness to ensue! Fluffiness as in fluff _and _Fluffy (aka: Krad) :D I'll do the comments :O Just because I'm not out of time like last time XS Did I mention I'm starting on the next chapter already:) Thanks to Shimmering Solitude for the horsey's name! But still, I actually couldn't decide >.>;; so all the names will be used later in the fic because you're all awesome! XD I really have to stop saying awesome...

**Hakudoshi-chan**- Yup! Poor poor Dark, but yea, Krad's got his reasons...awfully good reasons too o.O Riff's just really nice :) -not counting the twist in Count Cain- But he's so nice, it just makes you go awww inside X3

**Seylin**- Aww...poor vampires...they don't have any _safe_ food left... :S I think I learned that in class...and that's why doctors wear gloves XD Those inflatable gloves that people fill up with water and throw at each other XP

**Les Scribbles**- Don't worry, I enjoy torturing Krad...alot XP I see you've noticed, I'm sadistic...half of me went awww and the other half was laughing really hard when I typed this chapter :P But I love angst and it can't be helped :)

**Cherry**- Yes! And onwards to his death XP As mean as that sounded...it's true, and apparently, I'm too lazy to think of a nicer way to say it XD Isn't it if the other person has a cut the virus could slip through right away or something? I forgot everything I learned in class XD

**dimonyo-anghel**- That's what I thought, now I feel smarter than I actually am :P But did you know that you don't have to "do it" to get STDs? The horrifying things you learn in class o.O Although I think I was either asleep or laughing through it... :P

**Mysterious Kaitou**- Hmmm..._will_ Dark find out? Will he? Will he? XD I don't know why I'm asking you but still... XP Just because Dark's somewhat stupid half the time doesn't mean he isn't somewhat smart! XD I'm just plain mean to Krad :)

**Gabriel of Dreams-Yume Chan**- He's dying! And I'm smiling for some reason XP Krad must be happy to know that there are alot of people who are and will be upset because of his death :) I know I would be :D

**K-chan XP**- Yea! Poor poor Kraddy-kins...always the victim in my stories...I tried a couple times...having him not being the victim I mean and somehow...it just didn't work out XP Okay...maybe I didn't try very hard but oh well XP

**seena58**- Yup...he gets hurt over and over and over again, and I'm still amused somehow o.O Dark's just plain clueless right now XP Kisses can't transfer AIDS, that's what I know! XD The blood loss is terrible...sorta :P

**boeboebi**- Oh yea...you'll be surprised over and over again XD Most of them are because I suddenly got an idea or changed my mind...and on the rare occasion, I actually planned it out XP Surprise surprise...-feels stupid- XP

**Noroi Inu**- Hello! Don't bite me! XD Especially if you're an animal o.O rabies...doesn't that somehow make you foam in the mouth? XP Eww...I've bitten people before too XD I don't know why I did it but yea...o.O maybe I'm a vampire...

**chrnoskitty**- It's because Krad looks so frail and feminine and prettyful X3 Dark's awesome in the outgoing and openingly good looking way XP I thought about making Dark sick but then he suited the cowboy thing so well... >.>;;

**Krith**- Demonic's awesome XD Wow...it's like I can't stop using that word...o.O Weird no? Demonic's going to be used later in the fic :) That sounds like an...must not use that word...a great name for a fast horsey! XD

**archergirl14**- Yea! My friend told me about that book >.>;; I haven't read it yet...oh boy...-scratches head- hmm...me thinks I should go and read it XP The ranch and disease thing was pretty much her (friend's) idea...-smacks head for listening to her- XP

-**THE** **CITY** **DRIVE**-- Ooers...more names which shall be used XD I might use all of them :) Just because I suck at naming things...Fluffy XP Another reason why I don't really make up my own characters...fluffy! XD

**Daishi**- Cool! I named one of my pets Kuro before :) -gonna use names in fic just because she's stupid- Yea...I learned that I suck at naming anything, especially if it's a living thing since they'll probably come back to haunt me for giving them a stupid name XP

**kittenoftime**- Awesomeness XD I would print out fics that I like but I think I'd get yelled at for wasting all the ink and paper... >.>;; Here's an update though :) Yea...it took awhile didn't it? Sorry about that...enjoy though :D

**Kouseki Yume**- Whoa...o.o now that's what you call drama...I can imagine it happening inside my head XD Actually...it's kinda amusing :P That must've been a miracle...no one died or anything o.o that's crazy XD

**Chibi-Cloud**- Sorry for the slow review! Shall I list my excuses? XP -mind goes blank- Umm...shall I list the excuses for not remembering my excuses? XD I'm an idiot...go Krad go! Fight the stupid disease although it's uncurable! XP

**mad hatter**- Luckily, Dark didn't touch it _and _he didn't take it the wrong way :) What a nice guy X3 It's one of those one good deed deserves another thing I guess XD Dark save Krad, Krad save Dark, Dark save Krad again :P

**Shimmering Solitude**- Thanks for the name! XD The horsey says thanks too! And I updated XD I'll get the next chapter up soon! -went on typing spree- My arms are tired now XP But that can't be helped...whoa it's past midnight...o.O -random-


	7. Chapter 7

All the Pretty Little Horses

_There's a ranch called Golden Hope, filled with beautiful horses and lush forests…and they say…that if you ever get lost or wander off the path…a golden angel will guide you back…_

Chapter 7:

Dark frowned and breathed into the blonde again, finally, Krad coughed and rolled over, chest raising and falling slowly. The cowboy sighed in relief, "Thank god…" He picked up the blonde and said to the brunette, "I think you better get that horse back into the stables and go back to your cabin, it's raining cats and dogs, I'll take care of Krad." Risa watched him take the blonde back to his own cabin where there was a first aid kit.

----------------------

He laid the blonde down on the bed and grabbed the medical supplies, apparently the blonde had raised his arms just in time to avoid to have his skull cracked. Dark sighed again, the relief was overwhelming. Krad was going to have sore arms for awhile, and a bump on the back of his head. Dark looked at the blonde again, he was shaking and wet, "Crap…"

The cowboy got out a set of his clothes, "These better fit." Then he proceeded to change the blonde into dry clothes, frowning at how scrawny the blonde was. After awhile, he was still shaking, Dark shook his head, "It's not my fault, you left me no choice." He changed out of his own wet clothes and climbed into the bed.

---------------------

When Krad came to, he had one hell of a headache, not to mention his arms were in pain. He looked around groggily to where his clock would've been only to find that he wasn't in his own cabin, he continued to look around and sat up. The blonde was about to get up and leave when something tugged on his shirt, he looked back and was surprised to find that it was Dark, asleepbut tugging at his shirt nonetheless.

"Stay…don't leave, please…" Golden eyes blinked, the cowboy was talking in his dream? He couldn't help but wonder what or who he was dreaming about. Sighing, he laid back down and curled up against the boy. He couldn't help but snuggle against the warmness of the other boy.

_Maybe just for tonight…just for tonight I can forget…_

When Dark felt the blonde's slow breaths coming out, indicating that he was asleep, he whispered to the sleeping blonde, "I don't want you to leave…I want you to stay here…with me…"

-------------

Morning came soon enough, Dark found himself hugging the blonde, he didn't mind, really, but he wasn't sure how Krad was going to react so he unwrapped his arms. But the blonde just snuggled closer to him, making himself more comfortable and warm. The cowboy flushed, the blonde looked cute like that, but it had to be done, "Hey Krad…wakey wakey…come on Fluffy…"

The blonde stirred and his golden eyes fluttered open, "Dark?"

"Yes?" He replied happily, he wasn't usually a morning person but something had set him in a good mood.

Krad yawned and rubbed his eyes, "What happened?"

"Well…you were hit by a horse so you'll probably find bruises on your arms, then you hit your head when you fell so you'll probably have a headache. Then I saved you, you weren't breathing mind you so yea…and I carried you back here and since you were wet, you're now wearing my clothes, and you were shivering a lot so let's just say I figure you'd get warmer faster if I went to bed with you, don't worry, nothing happened and yea, now you know what happened."

Widened golden eyes blinked, "…thank you for saving my life-YOU DID CPR?"

"Hey! I didn't have much of a choice now did I?" Krad brought his hand up to his lips, he was kissed by Dark…despite the fact that it was a life and death situation, he was kissed by Dark…not to mention the cowboy save his life-and he was kissed by Dark! "Krad? You okay?"

Krad looked up and blushed, avoiding eye contact, "Yea, whoa…you saved my life…"

Dark laughed in a not so modest way, "I guess I did. See? I so do know first aid!"

"Well…thank you…again."

As he got up and headed towards the door, he found a pair of arms encircled around him, it was Dark, he was suddenly serious, "Please don't go Krad. I don't want you to leave…can't you stay here? With me? I don't think I can bare you leaving, especially not any time soon."

The blonde blinked, "Dark?"

"Don't go…I like you, a lot. I can never get you off my mind and it's driving me crazy."

Krad blushed, he really wanted to tell the cowboy just how much he liked him back but remembered, _he'll only get hurt if I tell him…why me?_ For the first time since he found out about his disease, he wished someone else had it instead of him. He felt like crying, _why me? Out of all the people in the world…why me?_

"Krad?" He kissed the blonde on the cheek, "Can't you tell me what's wrong? You always look so depressed…" _I want to make the sadness in your eyes go away._

"Dark…-" He was cut off by the breakfast bell.

Dark sighed and gave the blonde one last peck on the cheek before letting go, "Sorry…I have to go help."

The blonde raised his head to his heart which was beating rapidly, he found himself telling no one in particular, "Dark…I like you too…but I can't…" He bit his lip, "I can't…I don't want to hurt you…" _You deserve someone who doesn't have a time limit on their life._

------------------

Breakfast was unusually quiet, Krad poked at his food, he kept glancing over at Dark. And while he wasn't looking, Dark watched him. They were the first two to leave the table that day, the blonde stepped outside and stretched, breaking the silent atmosphere around him.

He walked around to the front of the main hall and stood under the roofing. Then he noticed that he was still in Dark's clothes, he had forgotten. They were awfully comfortable…a pair of jeans and a plain white shirt, quite similar to what the cowboy wore himself. _Maybe I should go return this back to him…_

"Krad?"

The blonde gave a little jump and turned around, "Dark! I was just about to go change…I mean I'm still wearing your clothes and…"

Dark just gave him a lazy grin, "You can wear them if you want, I don't mind."

"Oh…okay, thanks…"

"You've been thanking me all day, did you know that?"

Krad huffed, "Fine, see if I'll ever show you my gratitude again!"

The cowboy chuckled, "I didn't mean it like that. You're cute when you're angry." The blonde blushed, Dark just grinned, "You look cute when you blush too, Fluffy."

Krad's blush deepened against his will, he decided to change the subject, "I can't believe it's still raining, there's nothing to do in the rain…" He said to no one in particular.

"But haven't you noticed that everything looks brighter not to mention newer after the rain?"

"I guess it does…stop being such a poet…wow you're right…"

Dark snorted, "I'm always right! Hey, check those two out." He grinned and pointed at the young pair of red and blue snuggling under the safety of the patio watching the rain. Krad sighed and sat down against the wall, leg's drawn up against him, Dark followed in a similar manner. "Emiko never assigns us work in the rain…at least not outdoor work, she's afraid that we'll get sick or something."

"Well you can't really blame her…"

After awhile of silence, the blonde felt something warm cover his hand, he looked, it was Dark's hand, he blushed and glanced at the cowboy, who looked away trying to hide a blush of his own. The blonde smiled softy and looked back out at the rain, letting their fingers entwine, "I can't wait until the rain stops…it looks too gloomy."

Dark looked at him and smiled, "Aa…"

So they sat there, hands entwined in silence, waiting for the rain to cease.

_Maybe just for now…I can enjoy this, just for now._

----------------------

As the days went on, the rain didn't stop and Krad's health didn't raise the slightest. Instead, it dropped like a rock. He began to stay indoors more, he ate less and became somewhat…dead. Dark noticed the decline in the blonde's health, he couldn't help but worry, a lot. The coughing fits had become more frequent and he was so…dull compared to how he first met him, even his usual insults seemed forced.

He had tried to ask the blonde what was wrong but never got an answer, not with his stubbornness. Dark wished the blonde would simply tell him what was wrong…he missed the blonde's laughter…

Krad sighed and sat down on his bed, waiting for the dizziness to subside. He had just gotten off the phone, he had practically begged Riff to allow him to stay, even if it was only for a weeks. His eyes clenched shut, the room was spinning again, he tried painkillers, and aspirins, but they usually ended up making him drowsy.

He contemplated about going down to the stables but didn't feel like walking in the rain, let alone while feeling sick to his stomach. Dark dropped by a lot, sometimes with his meals since he didn't eat whether he attended them or not. It was because of the cowboy that he had literally forced a couple bites of food down his throat. The blonde didn't really like worrying the cowboy but there was little he could do about it.

_I'm sorry…I'm so sorry, I should just leave shouldn't I? But I'm finding that I can't…not with you here…_

Why did the cowboy have to be so nice and caring? If he wasn't so…kind, then it'd be a lot easier to leave. Krad sighed, "Why do you have to make everything so difficult?"

Everyone must've seen and noticed how they acted around each other by now. How Dark always looked out for the blonde. How Krad had grown dependant of the cowboy. Risa must've completely hated him, stealing Dark away from her. The blonde smirked at the thought.

_Why me?_

That was the same question that he found popping up more and more often, the same unanswerable question. Krad had mused about telling Dark about his disease, but couldn't bare to think about what might happen next, finally, he decided against it completely. Some things were better left a secret. He might as well enjoy the last few _happy _days of his life, maybe he'd tell him when he left, at least he wouldn't have to live much longer after being hated by Dark and everyone else.

Krad shuddered at the though, maybe not…

--------------

As chance would have it, along came a fateful day, one that no one would or could ever forget. Krad woke up to a horrible feeling, the feeling that something horrendous was happening. For once he was grateful that he had been too tired to change to go to sleep. Slipping on his shoes, he ran outside into the storm.

There was smoke coming from the forest, realizing that there was no possible way for him to run there, he ran to the stables. Both his and Dark's horse were missing. He saddled a nearby chestnut horse and rode towards the smoke. The closer he got, the worse he felt, then he realized, the smoke was coming from the old abandoned church!

Krad frowned, something wasn't right…he could hear people yelling and horses whinnying desperately, unable to think straight, he galloped on. When he finally reached the clearing, nothing could've been done to prepare him for the sight before him.

The church, it was blazing, a large tree that had been struck down by lightning laid across it. He saw Dark yelling frantically, Daisuke right behind him crying and Satoshi hugging him close, eyes narrowed in anxiety. The blonde was confused, they wouldn't be upset over the church…then the whinnying caught his attention. Dark noticed his presence and ran to him, "Don't Krad!"

It was too late, Krad had turned around and what he saw would haunt him forever. Two horses, the two horses, his white one, and Dark's black stallion, dancing in flames. Their manes flared up with flames, as did their tails and slowly, it was starting to spread. They whinnied and reared, trying to put out the inferno. Wide golden eyes watched the horses' deep black eyes filled with fear as they continued dancing in the blaze.

Above all the noise, a click and a snap was heard, he turned to look at Dark who had a gun in his hands. "No…"

Pained violet eyes met his and turned away sadly, "Krad…go back to your cabin…please…"

"You're going to kill it…"

"I don't have a choice here Krad, they can't be saved no matter what we do! Go back…I don't want you to watch this…"

Golden hair clung to his face from the rain as he watched the cowboy take aim, he knew that Dark was right but couldn't help but wish he could stop it somehow. "Dark…"

The cowboy pretended as though he didn't hear the blonde, "Goodbye…Kokuyoku…it's been fun…" The gun gave off a blast, the white horse fell down mid-rev, his own black one soon followed. Slowly, the flames began to consume them, Krad just watched, somehow it felt like he wasn't there at all. He looked directly into the black stallion's eye, still as soulful as it was when he first saw them, it looked back at him sadly.

Then Kokuyoku gave a final sigh and its head collapsed onto the already dead Shiroi. Krad looked at them in horror, _just like that…a life can be taken away…just with a pull of a trigger…everything can come to an end…_

"Krad…are you alright?"

"They're dead…you killed them…" Dark looked down unhappily, "Just like that…they're dead…how can life be taken away that easily?"

"Krad-"

The blonde already took off running, he ran the whole way back ignoring his body's pleas to stop and rest. After what seemed like forever, he reached his cabin, slamming the door shut, his knees buckled and he collapsed, he couldn't breathe…his brain tried to calm him down but his mind was too busy replaying the scene where the horses danced in flames, their cries drowned out by the gun. Slowly, exhaustion took over him, he was still panting when he fell asleep.

-------------

The next couple days there was no piano playing in the morning, no trails with the black and white horses. Krad stayed in his cabin for most of his time. Dark tried to call the blonde out but never received an answer, _what have I done?_ The younger pair watched him worriedly as he paced around in the stables which now lacked a pair of horses. "Dark…maybe you should go talk to him…"

"I tried, he's not answering…it's almost as though he's not…there…"

Amethyst eyes widened in realization, he made a sudden mad dash to the blonde's cabin, _no…he couldn't have…he wouldn't! _He slammed the door open, he felt his knees weaken and buck as he leaned against the wall for support, the room was empty, it looked like no one had ever resided there, "Krad…oh gods no…"

-------------

The blonde frowned, he had gotten a private jet back to where he had came from. He felt horrible for leaving without a word, to any of them, except for Emiko of course. He frowned as he looked out the window at the passing clouds, regret filled him, _I should've told him…I'm sorry Dark…_

-------------

Rage filled him, _how could he just leave like that? _His fists clenched against the wooden floor, he stared at it sadly _why?_ He continued staring at the room, finally, he pulled himself together and entered the cabin, there was a card beside the telephone, Dark blinked, anger slowly going away. On the card was but a single word…_Sorry…_

-------------

Riff was there to pick him up when he landed, "Master Krad…"

"Hey Riff." He managed a weak smile.

"Are you alright?"

"Take me home Riff…I'm tired…" _So tired…of everything…_

-------------

Dark picked up the card and read it over and over again, _sorry? Why sorry? Why…_the violet haired boy shook his head and stuffed the card in his pocket, then he went back to work with the blonde weighing on his mind.

-------------

"Master Krad?"

"Yes?"

"Do you wish you could've stayed longer?"

Krad paused and looked away, "No." _Yes._

-------------

"Dark-san?"

"Yea?"

"Are you alright?"

Dark blinked and paused, "…yes." _No._

-------------

"We're home Master Krad."

"Home…" Golden eyes scanned over the house, it was so different from the ranch…yet it was home…_his_ home…

Riff watched the blonde sadly, it wasn't hard to tell just how much he missed the ranch.

-------------

"Did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"I heard that Krad-san was sick."

Amethyst eyes blinked, "He was?"

"Well that's what I heard. And honestly I believe it."

"Why?"

Risa blinked and twirled a lock of hair around her finger, "Well…he has been in his cabin a lot lately, and last time he had a fever and-"

"Risa! Get over here!"

"Opps…err…I'll be right back Dark-san!"

Dark frowned and looked outside, if Krad was sick then it'd explain a lot of things…maybe that's why he didn't tell him anything…but he had no proof or whatsoever. He sighed and went back to work.

----------------

It had been another couple days, Krad woke up and opened the door to his balcony as Riff stepped in, "Master Krad?"

"It's finally stopped raining…"

"Yes…"

"Everything looks brighter not to mention newer after the rain…"

----------------

"Hey Dark…Dark?"

The cowboy blinked, "Yea?"

"You zoned out…"

"Oh, sorry…hey look, it's stopped raining…"

"Yea it did…"

----------------

"I didn't tell them Riff…I didn't tell any of them…do you think that was a mistake?"

"It was your choice not to tell, you have the right to keep your secrets."

"Maybe…maybe they wouldn't have cared…" _Maybe **he **wouldn't have minded…_

"Master Krad…"

----------------

Finally, curiosity drove Dark back to the blonde's cabin, there had to be _something_. Then he saw it, he didn't notice it before, but there was a flashing red light on the answering machine. Unable to think of anything else to do, he pressed play, there was a beep and the tape began to play…

----------------

Nya

Bumbumbum! THE answering machine :O Hmmm...let's see >.>;; Dark and Krad are miserable and Dark's mad at Krad and lalala okay I'll shut up now XP Short responds because I'm sleepy! XD

**Hakudoshi-chan**- I was going to name him shiny, -personal name for Krad- but oh well...fluffy seemed more like a pet name XP Poor them...Risa always seems to ruin the moment no:O

**Shimmering Solitude**- Fluffy :) Just like this chapter...Dark's not the brightest person in the world with his naming skills XP CPR's awesome, it's like a life-saving kiss! XD

**Kouseki Yume**- Yup read it, they looked like they were gonna kiss XD I was inwardly squealing when I read it -over and over again- Yes! Fluff-kins lives:D

**Mysterious Kaitou**- Ouch, I'm crying on the inside :P Just because I'm mean and sadistic doesn't you can go and compare me to Risa XP You're pretty mean too, shall I start comparing you to her too? XP

**Lillith**- I'm really greedy XP I'm insatiable too..wait...that means the same thing >.>;; I keep thinking of more things I could've added to the chapter (after I post up) and it bugs me :P

**dimonyo-anghel**- Yea...we had this slideshow of sex ed in the gym and I was trying to sleep, which was hard to do when laughing XP They do this kinda stuff before summer _just in case_ you get ideas >.O

**hiya**- Stupid edit program thingy won't let me do the facey thing :S Nope! It's the other way around! Dark confesses! XD And they kinda get together then Krad leaves and BOOM this happens XD

**Silv3r MagiciaN**- Cute purple rabbits! XD It can stand for alot of things :P cardiopulmonary resuscitation for the first aid things...not sure how you spell it though >.>;;

**Seena58**- I wanted to name Krad shiny! XD But even Dark's naming skills aren't horrible enough to name a horse shiny :S Well...at least you won't be awake to die from blood loss XP

**Koway Oceshia**- He's Dark, of course he'll do it! XD Anyways, he saved Krad's life with his daringness, and he confessed! I was going aww when I typed it out X3

**Daishi**- Yea, the new Harry Potter is very...interesting >.O Although I couldn't help but go ew at the Ginny and Harry part XP Apparenlty...this chapter's slightly sadder? -personal opinion-

**Val**- Awww it's okay, -hands over tissue- I rather enjoy writing cliffhangers, it gets me started on the next chapter just so I know what's going to happen...while others don't :P I'm so mean...

**Gabriel of Dreams-Yume Chan**- They get together and then Krad leaves >.>;; You will..patience is a virtue (that I don't have) XP Hmmm...what shall happen next... -grins-

**berettaboy**- That's very realistic o.o Well yea...unless if I suddenly create a magical cure for AIDS then yea...the inevitable will happen, sad sad sad indeed -sighs-

**kittenoftime**- Whoa...I was done half the chapter already but it still took me like a month to udpate this :S I'm horrible...but oh well...I updated now :D

**kyo's little koneko**- I was glad too XP (Me: Ha! Take that! He's kissing Krad in front of you! Ahahahahaha XD) Yes...I'm insane beyond measure :)

**SeLeNa MoUsY**- Yes! I feel so proud of myself XD I finally updated this one! I've been meaning to for some time now but I either kept forgetting or I kept running out of time :S If I had all the time in the world I wouldn't have this problem...

**MacLee**- I'm honored :D My dad would be asking me why we keep running out of ink for the printer if I printed stories out >.>;; Thank god for long long holidays :) Too bad it's summer...winters should have two month holidays too.. >.O

**hittocerebattosai**- That happens to me too! XD Usually because I think it's going to be one of those Dark and Risa fics, then someone goes and tells me it's not and I just feel like smacking myself XP I suck at summaries don't I:P

**Ballad of the Iris**- Risa was banished from hell apparently XP That'd make sense...yes, Dark's feeling super pissed because he STILL didn't get to kiss Krad, in a not so life-or-death way XP Poor poor Dark :)


	8. Chapter 8

All the Pretty Little Horses

_There's a ranch called Golden Hope, filled with beautiful horses and lush forests…and they say…that if you ever get lost or wander off the path…a golden angel will guide you back…_

Chapter 8:

"_Hello?"_

"_Riff?"_

"_Oh! Master Krad, how was the appointment."_

_A yawn, "Same as always, probably got worse…"_

"_I see…"_

"_You know you can leave, I wouldn't go and sue you or anything…"_

"_You know I won't."_

"_Thanks again, I have to go."_

"_Take care."_

There was a beep, and another message played.

"_Hello, Hikari-san?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_I just called to confirm that you have an appointment at 3o'clock today."_

"_Yea, I'll be there."_

"_Alright, take care."_

"_Bye."_

Dark stared at the machine as it beeped again. He never though he'd feel that happy just to heard the blonde's voice again, maybe Risa was right…maybe he was ill…the tape continued playing.

"_Master Krad, you have to come home…"_

"_Riff?" He was having a hard time talking…_

"_The doctor phoned me, you'd be getting better medical treatment back here."_

"_It's obvious I'm not getting better. I'll go home…" There was a cough, "but not now…give me a week."_

"_A week? Very well…"_

"_I have to go, Dark's screaming for help again."_

"_Are you going to tell him?"_

"…_they have no reason to get involved."_

"_If you wish."_

"_Bye."_

Dark remembered that day…it was the day before the horses... Did Krad even stay a week after that? His anger didn't know whether to stay or not. Then the final message came on with a beep.

"_Hello?"_

"_Riff?"_

"_Master Krad? Are you alright?"_

_There was a weak reply, "I want to go home…"_

_There was a pause, "A plane will be arranged."_

"_Thank you…"_

There was a click, then silence, Dark stared at the machine, that was the night he left wasn't it? He sounded terribly ill…so Risa was right…he frowned and headed outside, deep in thought. Eyes narrowing as a beam of light hit him, he made his way to the stables wondering if Krad was alright…

------------------

That night Dark couldn't sleep, all he could think of was the blonde, especially their first encounter when he had thought of the other as a rich no good snobby city boy. He chuckled, how wrong was he? Well maybe the rich city part was right but Krad certainly wasn't snobby. He sighed to himself, "I want to see him…" _But does he want to see me?_

------------------

The next morning Dark headed to the piano and pressed a key, the instrument had been untouched since the blonde left, it was coated in dust. "You miss him a lot don't you, Dark-kun?"

The cowboy turned around, "Oh, hey Dai-chan."

"You miss Krad-kun." The redhead stated.

Violet eyes looked over at the redhead, "Hm?"

"You two…liked each other didn't you?" Dark shrugged, "Come on Dark-kun, it's not all that hard to admit it is it? I saw you two, and it's not hard to tell that you two were happy."

"He's the one who decided to leave…"

"He probably had a good reason!" Daisuke protested. "Do you have any idea at all what it might be?"

_He was sick_, "Well Risa-chan heard that he was sick…and he didn't look very healthy when he was still around…"

"Maybe that's why…you should go visit him Dark-kun, go see if he's okay."

"But…" _What if he doesn't want to see me?_

"Go, I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

"You sure?"

"Yes, go ask for a vacation."

"…what about work?"

"Me and Satoshi-kun can handle a couple days without you around!"

"…" Dark knew he was letting Daisuke persuade him, but at least he felt left guilt about thinking the whole thing up himself. The redhead smiled and pushed him out of the main hall and into the kitchen, soon they were accompanied by Satoshi.

"Daisuke…what are you doing?"

"Getting Dark-kun to take a vacation!"

"Why?"

"So he can see Krad-kun!" Then they reached the kitchen, "Kaa-chan!"

Emiko looked at the three curiously, "Yes?"

"Dark-kun needs a vacation!"

The redhead's mother blinked then smiled, "Of course! It's about time he took one!"

"Oh…Kaa-chan?"

"Yes Dai-chan?"

"Can you tell us Krad-kun's address?"

------------------

Dark sighed and looked out the window at the passing clouds and below where everything looked small, too small. _I swear, they're trying to get rid of me…though it's rather nice to be away…especially away from Risa, she almost tore my favorite shirt…_

------------------

"_Ehhhh? Dark-san! You're going away? Where? Don't tell me you're going to Krad-san! But he's sick!"_

_Dark blinked, "Risa-chan…"_

_She shook her head over and over again, clinging to his shirt, "What if you get sick? Why are you going over there?"_

"_Risa-chan…please let go."_

"_No! I don't want you going over to some sick person and getting sick!"_

_The cowboy took a step back and tried to pry his shirt loose, "Let go…"_

"_What if you get sick?"_

"_I'm willing to take the risk if it means getting to see Krad again…"_

_Risa's eyes widened and out of shock she let go, "Dark-san…"_

_He walked away, "See you."_

------------------

The cowboy frowned when he entered the airport, it was huge. Girls giggled as they pointed at him, he sighed and smirked to himself, deciding that his best bet was to ask them, "Hey."

The girls giggled, "Yes?"

"Any idea where this place is?" He held up the address for them to see.

The giggling didn't cease, "Yup, it's far, far away, you should take a taxi."

_A lot of help they were…_ "Oh…alright, thanks."

In the end, he ended up following their advice and took a taxi, when he stepped outside the airport, he was somewhat surprised to find a long row of taxis waiting for a customer to step in. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he opened the door and got in, the taxi smelt of leather and faint traces of cigarettes.

"Where to?" The driver asked in a gruff voice, Dark blinked and handed over the piece of paper, the driver took a minute then handed it back, "The Hikari Residence eh? On a business trip?"

"Huh? Oh…sorta…"

The driver huffed, "Figures." Dark frowned, wondering what the driver meant but didn't comment on it. Instead, he looked outside and sighed, watching unfamiliar buildings and houses pass by.

----------------

The taxi finally came to a stop, Dark opened his eyes and looked around groggily, he had fallen asleep, "We're here."

The violet haired boy paid and thanked the driver and got out of the car, gaping as he did so. In front of him were two large blackgates which led to a long driveway which lead to an even grander mansion inside. He pressed the call button, "…hello?"

"Yes? Hikari residence."

He recognized the voice from the answering machine, "Is Krad there?"

"A visitor? Hold on a moment, I'll meet you at the door."

The gates swung open as Dark watched in amazement, he walked down the driveway, gawking at the plants and gardens around him. Everything was so…well kept. "Not rich my ass…" Then he saw the door, there was a man dressed in a suit waiting to greet him, _must be one of his butlers._ He walked up to the light blue haired man, "Hi…"

The butler smiled, "Hello, I'm Riff."

_That name…_"Dark Mousy."

Riff gave a nod as though not surprised by the name, "Please, come in."

Dark smiled nervously, "It's okay if Krad's busy, I can come back another time or something…anyways, I'm not sure he wants to see me…"

"No, it's quite alright, anyways, it looks like a storm's going to coming in soon, it'd be too much of a burden to ask you to come again. I'm sure Master Krad will be happy to see you."

_We didn't exactly leave off in the best situation…_ "Well if it's no trouble…" He stepped into the house and looked around, his jaw felt loose. The house was not only large and well furnished with expensive furniture, but the walls were draped in paintings, very beautiful ones at that.

"Would you care for some supper while you wait for Master Krad?"

"Huh? Oh yea, sure, dinner sounds nice…"

"Feel free to look around, it should be finished soon."

"Okay…"

He sighed and plopped down onto a couch while staring at a certain painting, _it's been what? Three quarters of a month? He leaves pissed and I didn't notice him leaving and now I'm here in his house, mansion, waiting for him. This might not turn out as well as Dai-chan was hoping for…_ Then he went back to staring at the painting and noticed something, _these are all by…Hikari?_ Violet eyes looked outside, droplets of water had started falling from the sky. _It's raining again…_

"Master Dark? Supper is ready."

Dark stood up and stretched, "Thanks," he followed Riff into the dining room which was too large for a little family to sit at. _It looks so…lonely…_ "This looks really good…" It was fancier than what Emiko whipped up, and it tasted really good too. He noticed that the butler had disappeared, he sighed and jabbed his fork into another piece of his dinner then stuffing it in his mouth. Awhile later he heard voices coming from outside the room.

"I'm fine…really."

"Well supper's ready."

"Thank you Riff."

"Oh, Master Krad, you have a guest."

The cowboy's heart skipped a beat while he waited in anticipation for the blonde to step in, "A guest?"

"Yes, he's in the dining room right now."

Amethyst eyes watched the doorway, a moment later a blonde stepped through, eyes widening as he did so, "Dark?"

--------------------

Nya

Dark visits Krad! Will Krad boot him out? XD And I updated! Whoo! -has a coughing spasm- Buckley's lied! I didn't get better and it just tasted like crap! Not that I know what crap tastes like... >.>;; But either way, medicine sucks! As does Risa XD Well depends actually..she sucks in this fic... :P ummm enjoy! Gah..my throat...


	9. Chapter 9

All the Pretty Little Horses

_There's a ranch called Golden Hope, filled with beautiful horses and lush forests…and they say…that if you ever get lost or wander off the path…a golden angel will guide you back…_

Chapter 9:

"Dark?"

Dark gave a sheepish grin, "Hey…surprise?"

A sudden wave of fear swept over the blonde, he felt his breath get caught in his throat, "W-why are you here?"

"For a visit? Your leaving was just so sudden and…well, I just thought I'd drop by for a visit. Do you mind?"

Krad blinked, then he shook his head, "N-no, of course not!"

The cowboy paused for a moment to study the blonde, he had become skinnier, paler and looked like he hadn't slept for ages. Dark blinked, but that didn't really matter, it was Krad, it was really Krad, he smiled, "I'm glad…"

The blonde felt a familiar feeling coming back to him at the sight of the other's smile, "Will you be staying the night?"

Dark blinked and looked a Riff, "I couldn't…"

"It's okay Dark, we have guestrooms here."

"Sure, if you insist Krad." He gave a little grin, "The last time I remember, I was being the host, not you."

Krad chuckled, "Well we're not at the ranch now are we?"

"No, apparently not."

Riff gave a little smile and headed into the kitchen and returned with the blonde's dinner, "I'll go get the guestroom ready."

The blonde nodded, "Thank you."

The butler just smiled and left the room, "I see your appetite hasn't improved."

"No…it hasn't."

"You left us all worried you know…Daisuke was going frantic…"

Golden eyes cast down at his food, "Aa…I'm sorry…"

Dark gave a sigh, "Well, I know how you can make it up to him."

Krad looked up, "What do you have in mind?"

"You could call him."

He blinked, "Sure…"

-----------------

"Krad-kun? Is that you?"

"Aa…"

"Why didn't you tell us you were leaving?"

"I'm sorry, it was kind of sudden…"

"It's okay, but I never got a chance to say goodbye or thank you."

Golden eyes blinked, "Thank you for what?"

"For helping me out! If it weren't for you I would've never gotten over Harada-san."

"You're welcome then. I have no idea what you saw in her but that's your opinion not mine."

The redhead giggled over the line, "You sound like Dark-kun!"

Krad couldn't help but smile, "Do I? He's here, you want to talk to him?"

"Yea sure."

He handed the phone over to the cowboy, "Hello?" Seconds later he held the phone an arms length away from his ear and winced at the harsh tone of Emiko, when there was a pause he hastily said as much as he could, "Yea I know I'm sorry it took me longer than I thought so I was just kind of caught up-…yea I know, yea, I'll call next time, thanks, bye." He hung up and sighed, "I'm never getting her worked up again…"

The blonde smirked, "Thank god she took it out on you and not me."

"Why would she take it out on you?"

"I've caused so much trouble at the ranch."

The cowboy cupped his face and looked him in the eyes making him blush, "You did no such thing." Then he captured the blonde's lips in a light kiss, "If anyone's a trouble maker it's Daisuke."

Krad gave a soft laugh, "Why Daisuke? You're not all that innocent yourself."

Dark grinned, "No I'm not but neither is Dai."

"Can't really blame him though, he's grown up around you."

"Is that supposed to be an insult?"

"Maybe…" The cowboy gave him a peck on the cheek, Krad blinked, "What was that for?"

"I was starting to miss your insults."

"I missed you too."

"Krad…is it true you're sick?" Krad's smile faded, he gave a slow nod, "Can you tell me?"

The blonde released his breath silently, "…tomorrow."

"Alright, tomorrow then."

Riff came back into the room, "Your room is ready Master Dark."

"Thanks, I'll be going to sleep then, you won't forget tomorrow right?"

Krad gave a nod, "Goodnight."

Dark smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"…what do I do, Riff?"

"Just tell him, I'm sure he'll understand."

"But…"

"Rest now Master Krad, it'll be better tomorrow."

"Yea…you're probably right. Sorry for overreacting."

"It's quite alright, goodnight Master Krad."

"Thank you Riff, goodnight." He headed upstairs to his room and crawled under the covers but that night he didn't get much sleep. He looked out at the door to the balcony listening to the rain pour, _would he really understand?_

-------------------

Amethyst eyes stared at the ceiling, _I'm actually here…in Krad's house…I haven't seen him in so long…_ He felt his eyelids grow heavy, _I wonder what's wrong with him, I want to help him…so…much…_his thoughts drifted away at his eyes closed and sleep overcame him.

-------------------

Dark awoke to a very familiar tune, he sat up and smiled groggily momentarily thinking that he was still at the ranch, but when he looked around he remembered exactly where he was, he changed and left the room to where the music was coming from. He poked his head through the door to find the blonde sitting at the piano, he smirked and snuck behind him, the moment the song was finished he wrapped his arms around the others.

Krad gave a startled jump and turned his head, "Dark?"

"Good morning."

Golden eyes blinked, "Good morning."

Then out of nowhere he sighed, "You're so mysterious, Krad. I know next to nothing about you."

"I'm not a very interesting person…"

"That's not true."

"What do you want to know?"

Dark smiled, "Everything."

"Well my parents died in a car crash when I was little and Riff was all I had ever since. He's been the one who took care of me so he's like a father to me…and I've never really had much friends because I never spoke much and tended to…shy away as the adults worded it."

He paused, the cowboy gave a soft smile, "It's okay, you can tell me…"

"The reason I ended up at the ranch was because I wanted a vacation, probably my last…I have AIDS Dark…"

Amethyst eyes blinked as a frown marred his features, he wasn't exactly sure what AIDS was aside from the fact that it was incurable and usually came from passing of bodily fluids, "What-how…?"

Krad sighed he was going to have to answer it one time or another, "The only guess I have is that when I was around seven or so…I was walking home from school and well, I ended up in an alley that I usually took for a shortcut but there was a gang there…and they…" He couldn't finish.

Dark frowned and tightened his embrace, "Did you really think I would leave you because of that?"

"But I-"

"I came all the way here just to see _you_, I wouldn't have done that for anyone else! All I could do when you left was stare into space wondering how you were doing, wondering when I would get to hold you again, I must admit I was pissed off at first when I first found out that you left…then the more I thought about it the more I realized…I love you Krad."

Golden eyes widened as he stared at the ranger, "Dark…"

"I don't want to be away from you ever again." Intense amethyst eyes looked him in the eyes, "I really mean it."

"I know you do…"

Dark smiled and caught the blonde in another kiss, "I love you Krad…"

"I love you too."

-------------------

After that day, the two had become inseparable, Riff smiled as he watched the two walking around in the garden, he hadn't seen the blonde smile like that since his parents died. He turned around, heading back to the kitchen to prepare their meal, humming a light tune.

-------------------

"Krad…"

The blonde blinked, he was getting ready to go to bed, he looked over only to find Dark staring at him, "Yea?"

"You've never really experienced the pleasure of having a lover have you?"

"Dark, you know I can't-"

"I don't care about that…"

Golden eyes blinked, "What?"

He was caught in a kiss and shoved onto the bed, "Let me show you…"

-------------------

Amethyst eyes opened, to find Krad watching him, "Why'd you do it?"

"What?"

"Why? You know very well what the consequences are! Why'd you go and do it?"

Then he realized that there were tears running down the blonde's cheeks, "Krad…"

"Do you want me to die knowing that I've taken your life away from you as well?"

Dark sighed and pulled on his boxers, wrapping his arms around the blonde he whispered, kissing the tears away, "No, I don't want you to go with guilt, this was my choice and mine alone. I'd rather die than to live in a world without you Krad."

"Why…?"

"Because you're my life…"

----------------

Golden eyes opened and watched the figure beside him then stared at the ceiling, he still felt terrible, he loved Dark, but not enough to go and kill him. That's what he felt like, he felt like a murderer, murdering his lover. Suddenly an arm was wrapped around him, "Go to sleep…"

Krad gave a small smile and closed his eyes, snuggling against his lover.

----------------

Dark frowned, he could see that the blonde was getting weaker with each passing day and couldn't help but feel like he was being selfish, he wanted the blonde to stay around forever despite his pain, it was all because of his greed, he was greedy and couldn't deny it. He had called Daisuke the other day to do his weekly report to Emiko while the blonde rested, it pained him to hear the redhead cry over the phone.

"Dark?" Boney arms wrapped themselves around his waist, he placed his own on top of the hands and turned around, "Something's bothering you…"

"Am I being selfish Krad?"

"Why?"

"I want you to be there forever and I don't want to leave you alone, not ever…"

He felt the blonde smile, "I don't think you're selfish, by any means, stay forever if you want."

"I never want _you_ to leave me…"

"Don't worry, I'll wait for you when I get there." He didn't need to mention exactly where he was going.

The cowboy turned around and gave the other boy a kiss, he had finally been able to accept the fact that the blonde wasn't going to be around for very long, "You better not run off with some other person while you're there."

"I won't, you're the only one for me, now and forever."

----------------

Krad had begun to spend more time in bed, Dark didn't ever object, he stayed by the bed until the blonde had fallen asleep then was left to wander the house by himself, he often found himself staring at the artwork that his family, generations of artists had painted. He had become familiar with the house and town, after all, he had been there for several months now.

That night he retired in his room, _their_ room, he crawled under the covers and wrapped his arms around the slender form who stirred awake, "Dark?"

"Did I wake you?"

Krad shook his head tiredly, "I woke up a bit ago."

"Oh, can't sleep?"

"Not really, I was waiting for you."

"I'm sorry…"

The blonde turned around and faced the cowboy and gave him a kiss, "You must be tired."

"Not really, just walked around most of the day, you seem more tired than me."

"Do I?"

"Yea, get some sleep."

"'Kay…"

Dark gave him a final goodnight kiss, "Goodnight, I love you." That had been what he said every night, not knowing what to expect the next day.

"I love you too…"

----------------

Amethyst eyes opened slowly, "…Krad?" He blinked when there was no response from the figure in his arms, "Krad?" He felt his heart skip a beat as his eyes widened, Krad wasn't breathing.

----------------

Nya

Bumbumbum! I'm sleepy >.O And it's only 1:30 in the afternoon :S how strange...now you know how Krad got AIDS o.O Sorry if this seems rushed, I thought it might to boring for you people if I dragged it out >.> And yes I lobe writing cliff hangers, and I only like reading them when the person updates soon XP Though I can't really complain now can I? XD so yea...enjoy!


	10. Chapter 10

All the Pretty Little Horses

_There's a ranch called Golden Hope, filled with beautiful horses and lush forests…and they say…that if you ever get lost or wander off the path…a golden angel will guide you back…_

Chapter 10:

Dark stared at the figure in his arms, golden eyes closed forever, it had finally happened, Krad had died. He hugged the body close to him, tears running down his cheeks, "Krad…"

He had been expecting it, mentally bracing himself for it when it finally happened. Yet when it was actually happening, everything he had prepared got swept away in the wave of despair. Riff walked in a bit later, silent tears running, then he left to call the doctor. Who later told the two that the blonde had actually contracted a flu and was suffering from hypothermia though he was fortunate enough to die a peaceful death.

Riff had explained that there'd be no service, it wasn't something Krad would've liked, Dark agreed and packed up. After everything had settled down, he picked up and phoned the ranch, "Daisuke? …I'm coming home…"

-------------------

When he arrived back at the ranch he blinked, somehow it felt like he was a visitor. Emiko had let him take a few more days off just to lounge around a bit and calm down. Daisuke had cried when he heard the news, though it was only expected, he sighed and stared at the stables. There were two empty stalls that still haven't been filled up yet. Everything that had once reminded him of the blonde was gone. He could still see pained golden eyes ease a little as the figure petted the white horse.

He had been informed that the twins had left, one very dissatisfied, he shrugged it off, it wasn't that big of a concern of his. That night he frowned and looked out the window, he could've sworn he saw a golden light dancing around the outdoor pen, he narrowed his eyes trying to get a better look at the light but it had disappeared.

And suddenly it felt as though reality came crashing down on him, tears filled amethyst eyes, he was never going to see Krad again, never hear his voice or play with his silky smooth hair. Somehow, his life had never felt so empty, he looked at the empty space beside him and wiped the tears out of his eyes.

The next day Dark had insisted on working, he worked to get his mind off of everything, he continued doing so for several weeks, not uttering a word as he worked. He caught sight of a figure sitting by the fence of the outdoor pen where the new horse stood, it was a dappled one that Daisuke had named Oni for its near demonic powers, it seemed quite calm today. Almost as though the figure was petting him, "Oi! Get away from there!"

The figure turned around, the person seemed to be laughing at him and disappeared when he reached the pen. He looked around baffled. A sudden warmness overcame him as he stood there, out of the corner of his eye he could see a blur of gold and white beside him. Then a soft tune reached his ears he recognized the tune immediately, he blinked and stared at the horse that had approached him whinnying softly, he had seen it happen before, there had only been one person that he knew who had such a calming effect on anything.

The cowboy turned around only to catch of long golden hair and a ruffle of white feathers as they disappeared into thin air. He fixed his hat and gave a small grin, "It's been awhile hasn't it…Krad…?" The only answer he got was a gentle breeze that slipped through his hair, gently laughing as it ran through strands of violet. Somehow they felt as soft as feathers.

He closed his eyes smiled, savoring the gentle feeling that laid deep inside his chest. "Thank you…" He whispered to the air before going back to work with a smile on his face, humming the tune he knew by heart lightly.

----------------------

"I miss him Satoshi…"

"I know…"

The redhead smiled sadly, "But he looked so happy when he passed away."

The blue haired male gave the smaller male a reassuring hug, "He's with the one he loves most now, just like I am."

"I guess…I'm so glad you're here."

"I'm happy to be here."

Daisuke smiled and stepped into the main hall where a group of children were sitting around, "Hey kids, welcome to the ranch."

"Hey mister, why does the pham-fo-let say there's a golden angel? Is there really?"

"Actually…there is…if you ever get lost in the trails, it'll lead you back here."

The child smiled widely, "Really?"

"I saw it!" Cried one of the kids.

"Did you?" Satoshi asked stepping beside the redhead.

"Yea but it was purply almost black!"

The two looked at each other and smiled, "I guess they're together after all…"

"Who?" The group asked inquisitively.

"The angels of this ranch, that's who." He said looking outside at the new horses as they ran around the fields.

"Hey mister, what're those horses' names?" The boy asked in a childish voice.

"Kuro and Shi."

"Why aren't they in the stables?"

"Don't worry, they won't ever run away, the angels will makes sure of that." Daisuke answered with a smile.

-------------------

Silently the figure watched the two grown ups telling stories to the group of children who were staying there for a couple weeks. A small smile lit his face, suddenly a hand held his own, he looked back at the violet angel before him.

The other made a gesture towards the woods, he smiled and nodded, allowing himself to be led to the clearing where they had sat before, many years ago. Hands still joined the two angels looked up at the starry sky where a shooting star shot across the field of black.

"_What did you wish for?"_

"_I wish to be with you forever, and it came true."_

Owari

-------------------

Nya

It's finished! Yea...Dark and Krad are haunting the ranch...but in a good way XP I don't have anything to say, how very strange of me o.O Well, anyways, I hope you peoples have enjoyed this and thanks for reading and reviewing XD I have the sudden urge to drink chocolate milk so...I'll go get myself some XD Buhbye! Thanks again :)


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